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2004 NEWS
RETURN TO PRESS ROOM
Fifth
Graders Raise Money to Restore Fort Dobbs
December 3, 2004
Statesville Record & Landmark - By Donna Swicegood
STATESVILLE,
NC - The fifth-graders at Scotts Elementary School have a
special claim to fame, and they hope other students in Iredell
County will follow their lead. They launched the first fundraising
effort aimed at restoring Fort Dobbs, collecting nearly $50
in loose change in less than a month. The $49.61 will go toward
the efforts aimed at rebuilding the state historic site and
making it into a tourist attraction.
Beth Carter, director of Fort Dobbs, said
she was thrilled with the students’ efforts. “I
am so proud of you,” Carter told the students gathered
in the school’s media center Friday for a special ceremony.
A Veterans Day program piqued the students’
interest, and the Student Council decided to take on the Fort
Dobbs restoration as a project.
“We heard they were trying to rebuild
it, and we thought it would be a good idea,” said Jessica
Holt, 11, one of the five student council members. Her fellow
student council member, Cassidi Udy, 10, said she wanted to
see the fort restored. “It’s an important part of
history,” she said. “It will be nice for students
in the future to be able to see it.”
Eleven-year-old Mary Wooten, another of
the student council members, said a restored fort could provide
an important history lesson. “We felt it was important
to do this so that others in our community can learn about
our history,” she said.
Rose Bonanno, 10, said she believes a restored
fort will help preserve the state’s history. “People
could go and see and learn the history of North Carolina,”
she said.
The fifth member of the student council,
Ashley Stone, 10, was more direct. “It will be cool to
see it,” she said.
After the Veterans Day program, the fifth-graders
built a miniature replica of the fort and placed it in the
media center as a collection point. Students, staff and visitors
were encouraged to deposit loose change in the fort.
Micki Earp, a teacher at Scotts, said the
goal was 10 cents a student, which would have been about $35.
“We exceeded what we aimed for,” she said. Earp
said she wants other schools and individual classes to meet
Scotts’ challenge.
To reward the students’ efforts, Carter
presented them with an unique honor. She passed out certificates,
naming the students Waddell’s junior rangers, harkening
back to soldiers named for Hugh Waddell, the leader of the
fort in colonial times.
A living history exhibit by re-enactor
Adam Weber was a big hit with the students. Weber, dressed
in garb from the 1750s, explained to the students what life
was like in that time period. Weber told the students he was
also excited about the restoration plans. “Having a fort
there will make it a very nice site,” he said.
Statesville
Delegation Visits Tryon Palace
August
2004
 STATESVILLE,
NC - A Statesville delegation comprised of Fort Dobbs Alliance
Board of Trustees members; John Marshall, Statesville Mayor;
and Beth Carter, Fort Dobbs Historic Site Manager recently
visited New Bern. Kay Williams, Director of NC State Historic
Sites and Tryon Palace, hosted the delegation.
Sessions included roundtable discussions
with leaders from the New Bern Chamber of Commerce, Convention
and Visitors Bureau, business leaders, Craven County and New
Bern political leaders, Tryon Palace staff and Tryon Palace
Council of Friends. The focus of the discussions emphasized
how Tryon Palace Historic Site and Garden uses every aspect
of the facility to improve the lives in the New Bern community
and surrounding region. Many comparisons were made between
Statesville and New Bern, including its size in population.
The Statesville delegation learned about
planning and fundraising strategies, support groups, economic
development and preservation. The group enjoyed a tour of
New Bern and Tryon Palace. The trip was a wonderful opportunity
for the delegation to see first hand how a developed historic
site can impact the entire community.
Rediscovering
Fort Dobbs
August
19, 2004 - excerpts from a Letter
to the Editor of the Statesville Record and & Landmark
by Beth Carter, site manager at Fort Dobbs.
STATESVILLE,
NC - After the closing of Fort Dobbs in October 2003, the
Fort Dobbs Alliance, a 501c3 support group, quickly stepped
in and opened the group to membership. They presented resolutions
to the Iredell County Commission, Statesville City Council,
Statesville Chamber of Commerce and Statesville Convention
and Visitor's Bureau recognizing the significance of Fort
Dobbs in North Carolina history and the vision to develop
Fort Dobbs as a significant heritage tourism destination.
All the above mentioned groups unanimously supported the resolution.
The process began to move forward to raise community awareness
and support.
Since the fall of 2003, the Fort Dobbs
Alliance, partnered with N.C. State Historic Sites, has made
huge steps toward fulfilling its vision. The Alliance has
40 members governed by a board of trustees and board of visitors,
many of whom are prominent leaders in our community. In addition,
support continues to be generated regionally because of the
surrounding area's historical link with Fort Dobbs. A clear
message is being sent, through the Alliance membership and
board to leaders on the state level that Fort Dobbs is significant
and needs to be supported. A full-time state employee has
been hired to assist the Alliance in development, fundraising,
research, interpretation and programming. Research on the
significance of Fort Dobbs has continued at an exciting pace
allowing for the full interpretation of the Carolina frontier
to be told including the story of the Cherokees, Catawbas,
Settler families (names such as Daniel Boone, Steele family,
Oliphant family, Nesbit family, Hall family and several hundred
others), colonial military history and North Carolina colonial
history.
The development of Fort Dobbs has already
seen fantastic changes and opportunities. Even as a "closed"
site, since April 2004 Fort Dobbs has had over 1,800 visitors,
over 200 hours of volunteer service and over 30 research requests.
Fort Dobbs' historical significance is recognized statewide
by tourism officials, including Larry Gustke, who is currently
compiling a report showing the economic benefit of Fort Dobbs
as a heritage tourism destination. Historians and archaeologists
throughout North and South Carolina have also shown strong
support and interest in Fort Dobbs, including Gary Freeze
from Catawba College and Ken Robinson from Wake Forest University
who serve on the Alliance Board of Trustees. Plans are currently
being made for 2005 programming celebrating the 250th Anniversary
of the French and Indian War (2004-2013) and the frontier.
Visitors nationwide with genealogical links to Fort Dobbs
will be able to access information about Fort Dobbs, genealogy,
archaeology, educational material and specific site information
thanks to a $1,000 grant given to the Alliance by Statesville's
Design Detail Web Production.
As research continues and plans develop
to reconstruct Fort Dobbs and build a visitor center and museum,
I never for once take for granted the process of preserving
Fort Dobbs. As early as the 1840s, Pastor Rockwell from First
Presbyterian Church raised money locally to do an archaeological
dig at Fort Dobbs. Later the Fort Dobbs Chapter of the Daughters
of the American Revolution began preserving the site in 1909
and continued until 1976, when the site officially opened
to the public as a North Carolina State Historic Site. Because
a support group was not in place until 1998 to continue Fort
Dobbs' development, the site sat for many years undiscovered
and underdeveloped.
Today we have the exciting opportunity
to support Fort Dobbs. The Fort Dobbs Alliance pursues its
vision so that one day families such as the Allisons, Steeles,
Alexanders, Davisons, Johnsons, Oliphants, Smiths, Bells,
Potts and many, many others, can bring their own children
to see the site where their forefathers defended their vision
for a new life on the colonial frontier.
Cub
Scout Week at Fort Dobbs
June
2004
STATESVILLE,
NC - Fort Dobbs hosted over 250 Cub Scouts and 175 Scout volunteers
June 14-18. The week's events included an 18th century fire
arms demonstration where interpreters from North Carolina
States Historic Sites explained the clothing and equipment
used by Back Country militia. The Cub Scouts especially enjoyed
the firing of the muskets and rifles.
Beth Carter, Site Manager, gave brief talks
to the Scouts throughout the week on the history of Fort Dobbs
and the people who settled the Carolina Back Country.
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