Fort Dobbs State Historic Site


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The Fort Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, North Carolina is the venue of many historical living history events each year, such as the Fort Dobbs Cherokee Attack Anniversary Reenactment (February), War for Empire (April), Militia Muster (June), Fall Living History (September) and Winter on the Western Frontier (December).

Fort Dobbs was the only permanent frontier provincial fort in the colony of North Carolina. Construction began in late 1755 and was completed one year later. It served as the military headquarters for the frontier company (approximately fifty men) as well as a safe-haven for settlers. The fort was attacked on the night of February 27, 1760 when more than 70 Cherokees were repelled. The garrison suffered two men wounded, as well as having one colonial boy killed. The Cherokee were reported to have lost 10-12 men killed and wounded. By the end of 1761, the British had essentially won the war and only thirty troops remained at the fort. Colonial leaders disbanded the troops and removed all the supplies of the garrison as settlement moved far west of the fort. The neglected fort was in ruins by 1766.

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Reconstruction of Fort Dobbs
Soon after protecting the site of Fort Dobbs in 1909, the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized the need to reconstruct the blockhouse. Following initial archaeological investigations in the 1960’s and ’70’s the site became a State Historic Site, but with several key questions about the original structure still unanswered, no immediate reconstruction effort was planned.

In 2003, the reincorporated non-profit Friends of Fort Dobbs took up the vision of then-site manager Beth Hill to begin an effort to rebuild. More than a decade of hard work ensued. The Friends undertook a fundraising campaign to fund the effort and co-operated with State officials, historians, historic building specialists, architects, and noted archaeologist Dr. Larry Babits to develop feasible, historically sound plans and the capital needed to make Fort Dobbs stand on the banks of Fourth Creek once again.

Following several other facility improvements to the site, ground was broken for the new fort in August of 2016. A mix of modern and 18th Century construction techniques have been employed to meet the challenge of building a structure that must simultaneously meet modern building standards while also approximating an entirely hand-build piece of military engineering from 260 years ago. We hope, with your support, to have Fort Dobbs open as a living history exhibit on a grand scale by early 2019!

View Fort Dobbs Cherokee Attack Anniversary Reenactment Details

View Fort Dobbs War for Empire French and Indian War Reenactment Details

View Fort Dobbs Militia Muster French and Indian War Reenactment Details