Fort Dobbs (1)

Fort Dobbs (1) (1755-1764) - First established in 1755 by Capt. Hugh Waddell and North Carolina provincial soldiers. Named after Arthur Dobbs, Royal Governor of North Carolina. Abandoned in 1764.

Fort Dobbs Visitor Center	Fort Dobbs Model
Fort Dobbs Panorama

Fort Dobbs (1) History

Fort Dobbs was built to protect settlers from hostile Cherokee Indians and to project the power of the provincial government to what was then the western frontier.

The post was constructed as a rectangular log fort 53' by 40' with projecting bastions at the northeast and southwest corners. The building was three stories high with over a hundred gun ports. Construction began in the fall of 1755 and was completed in 1756. The post could accommodate a company of rangers numbering about 50 men. A separate building outside the fort housed the officers.

The fort came under attack by a group of more than 60 hostile Cherokee Indians in 1760 but the fort withstood the attack. The post was no longer on the western frontier in 1763 and the fort was abandoned in 1764. The fort was described as in ruins in 1766.

The site was used as farmland over the years until the DAR purchased the site in 1909 and eventually donated it to the State of North Carolina. Archaeological excavations began in 1967.

Current Status

Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. The fort site is outlined with rope and the basement has been dug out. The 1910 DAR marker is located on the site. The visitor center is located at the back of the site in a log cabin.

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Location: Iredell County, North Carolina. Maps & Images Lat: 35.821602 Long: -80.897296 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 866'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 613

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Dobbs
• North Carolina Historic Sites - Fort Dobbs
• Fort Website

Visited: 15 Jul 2010

Fort Dobbs (1) Picture Gallery

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