Fort Dobbs
National Register of Historic Places

Fort Dobbs

Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina
Listed
September 14, 1970
Type
Site
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
70000458

About this property

Fort Dobbs was an 18th-century fort in the Yadkin–Pee Dee River Basin region of the Province of North Carolina, near what is now Statesville in Iredell County. Used for frontier defense during and after the French and Indian War, the fort was built to protect the American settlers of the western frontier of North Carolina, and served as a vital outpost for soldiers. Fort Dobbs' primary structure was a blockhouse with log walls, surrounded by a shallow ditch, and by 1759, a palisade. It was intended to provide protection from French-allied Native Americans such as the Shawnee raids into western North Carolina. The fort's name honored Arthur Dobbs, the Royal Governor of North Carolina from 1755 to 1765, who played a role in designing the fort and authorized its construction. Between 1756 and 1761, the fort was garrisoned by a variable number of soldiers, many of whom were sent to fight in Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley during the French and Indian War. On February 27, 1760, the fort was the site of an engagement between Cherokee warriors and Provincial soldiers that ended in a victory for the Provincials. Fort Dobbs was abandoned in March, 1764, and disappeared from the landscape. Archaeology and historical research led to the discovery of the fort's exact location and probable appearance. The site on which the fort sat is now operated by North Carolina's Division of State Historic Sites and Properties as Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. The reconstruction of the fort was completed on September 21, 2019.

Location

Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina
35.82144, -80.88268

Categories

MILITARYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
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Nearby Historic Sites

Ramsey Farm
Industrial
1.9 mi
East Broad Street-Davie Avenue Historic District
Listed
2.3 mi
Morrison-Mott House
Industrial
2.3 mi
Long, Henry Fletcher and Carrie Allison, House
Industrial
2.3 mi
McElwee Houses
Listed
2.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Stoneman's Raid — Statesville NC
1865Civil War
2.7 mi
Stoneman's Raid — Statesville Cavalry Fight NC
1865Civil War
2.7 mi
Stoneman's Raid — Catawba Station NC
1865Civil War
12.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fort Dobbs listed on the National Register?

Fort Dobbs was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1970.

What type of historic resource is Fort Dobbs?

Fort Dobbs is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fort Dobbs?

The period of significance for Fort Dobbs is recorded as the colonial era, specifically around 1755.

Can I research the history near Fort Dobbs?

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