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RETURN
TO PRESS ROOM
Christmas
at Fort Dobbs
December 3, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will present its annual
Christmas living history weekend, December 8th, 10am - 4pm
and 6pm-8pm; and December 9th, 10am-4pm. The program will
demonstrate the difference between how we celebrate Christmas
today and how the "holy days" were observed in
the 18th century on the edge of the British Empire in the
colony of North Carolina.
The
living history weekend will include artillery demonstrations,
musket drills and the garrison of North Carolina Provincial
Soldiers Frontier Company demonstrating skills such as wood
working, construction techniques, cooking, and daily Fort
life. At 6:00 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to
experience a Christmas evening at Fort Dobbs, including
a rare night time firing of the Fort's artillery. Visitors
are also welcome to enjoy the tastes of the 18th Century
during a reception at the Fort's Visitor Center and in the
military camp from 6-8pm. At 2pm, Sunday December 9th, there
will be an 18th Century Church Service followed by Christmas
carols and mulled cider tasting.
Veterans
to be Honored During Fort Dobbs Living History Weekend
November 6, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Honor Iredell County Veterans at a special Veteran's
Day Program, November 11th, 12:30 p.m. at Fort Dobbs State
Historic Site. Fort Dobbs State Historic Site and Gordon
Hospice House have partnered for a special Veteran's Day
Program at 12:30 PM at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. The
event is free and will honor veterans from the French and
Indian War (1754-1763) to the present. The community is
invited to this special program!
The
Veteran's Day program is part of a living history weekend
at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site which explores the daily
life of soldiers stationed at Fort Dobbs located at the
edge of the British Empire in the colony of North Carolina
in the fall of 1755. Explore the variety of foods available
to the soldiers stationed at Fort Dobbs. From 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Saturday and Sunday, visitors can experience the food
ways of a mid-18th century fort including food preparation,
methods of cooking, and types of foods available on the
western colonial frontier. The Provincial Garrison of Fort
Dobbs will demonstrate the pageantry of the 1756 military
drill, musket and swivel gun firings. Visitors are invited
to test their own skill as a "new recruit" in
the colony's provincial military, learning to drill using
the tactics of 18th century linear warfare. Provincial soldiers
will discuss the lives of the men who built and defended
Fort Dobbs and how they prepared shelter for the winter
prior to the Fort's construction.
18th
Century Trade Faire at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site
October 18, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of an 18th
century Trade Faire, Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct.
28, at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville. Period-costumed
soldiers, civilians, and tradesmen will all evoke the challenges
of life on the 1750s North Carolina frontier from 10 a.m.-4
p.m. daily. Admission is $2 per person, with children five
and under free.
Visitors
will have a chance to see the color of an 18th century market,
listen to the vibrant sounds of festival music and even
savor period dishes. Merchants will hawk their wares near
where Indian traders (white men who sold such items as blankets,
wampum or a belt of beads used as currency by the Indians,
weapons and more) will be camping.
Activities
will highlight civilian life of the frontier. These will
include demonstrations of a printing press, bookbinding,
blacksmithing and potting. Visitors will have a chance to
wander through colonial soldiers and Cherokee camps, watch
cooking demonstrations and buy such tasty colonial treats
as pasties, a meat pie. Other programs will include military
drills, a hunter camp where interpreters will be performing
such tasks as tanning leather, firing demonstrations and
much more. Throughout the weekend, visitors will also have
a chance to play 18th century cricket with Tom Melville,
a nationally recognized author and cricket historian.
A
special presentation of the "faire" will be offered
for school children Friday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Each day at 1:30 PM, a reenactment of an April 1760 Cherokee
raid on a local frontier family will be presented, followed
by a program about the captives' experiences in the Cherokee
camp. To learn more about the kinds of weapons British troops
used during the French and Indian War, be sure to attend
"From Brown Bess to Basket Hilt", a lecture given
Saturday at 3 p.m. by Erik Goldstein, curator of Numismatics
and Mechanical Arms at Colonial Williamsburg's DeWitt Museum.
A divine service like those the soldiers at Ft. Dobbs once
held will be reenacted Sunday at 11 a.m.
Back
in the 18th century, market "faires" featured
streets filled with booths overflowing with lace, metal
wares, jewelry, toys, animals, food and secondhand clothes,
among other goods. Entertainment was also part of the trade
faire such as singing, dancing and even theatrical performances.
Throughout the 18th century, these trade gatherings played
an important role in the lives of farmers, merchants, tradesmen,
entertainers, and even thieves. Like today, people from
all walks of life came to the "faire."
D.G.
Martin Headlines Friends of Fort Dobbs Annual Membership
Meeting
September 4, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Syndicated columnist and host of "North Carolina
Bookwatch," D.G. Martin, will headline the annual Friends
of Fort Dobbs membership meeting scheduled Tuesday, September
11 at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville.
Known
for his wit, insight and easy manner, Martin will be the
program's guest speaker. A retired lawyer, Green Beret,
athlete, and Democratic congressional and senatorial candidate,
Martin is probably best known today for hosting "Bookwatch,"
which airs weekly on UNC-TV. The show spotlights North Carolina's
finest writers through one-on-one interviews focusing on
the authors' lives, books and the role the Tar Heel State
has played in their work.
Born
in Davidson and a Yale Law School graduate, Martin has been
involved with public service and politics throughout his
life. His steady hand, devotion to North Carolina and finely
attuned judgment stood him in particularly good stead while
serving as vice president of the University of North Carolina
system and interim vice chancellor for development and university
affairs at both UNC-Pembroke and N.C. Central University.
In 1998, Martin challenged John Edwards for the Democratic
nomination to the U.S. Senate. More recently, he worked
as the Carolinas director of the Trust for Public Land.
Martin's
column "One on One" runs in newspapers across
the state each week and he frequently contributes to "Our
State" magazine. Each evening and Sunday mornings,
Chapel Hill residents tune in to WCHL-1360 for his radio
interview show spotlighting local personalities and newsmakers.
Supporting
the mission of North Carolina's only French and Indian War
fort historic site, the Friends of Fort Dobbs includes members
drawn from 42 cities and counties in North Carolina and
14 states.
Fort
Dobbs presents "Rowan County Militia Muster 1756"
September 4, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Visit, learn and relive life on the edge of the British
Empire in the colony of North Carolina during the "Rowan
County Militia Muster 1756" Saturday, September 8th,
10-4pm and Sunday, September 9th, 10:00 PM- 4:00 PM at Ft.
Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville. See the face of
history as it was over 250 years ago as Provincial soldiers
guarded the frontier and called upon the militia to help
in the colony's defense. Programming includes military drill
and firing, artillery demonstrations, military engineering
and construction.
Provincial
soldiers of the colony will continue the construction of
the Fort's abatis, while local militiamen will muster and
train for the crisis ahead. Visitors are welcome to visit
the men's camp, participate in military drills and learn
about the lives of the soldiers of 250 years ago.
"Guarding
the Frontier" Living History Program
August 8, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Experience life on the mid-18th century western colonial
frontier with "North Carolina provincial soldiers"
Saturday, Aug. 11-Sunday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Ft.
Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville. Experience what
provincial soldiers did the summer of 1756 during the French
and Indian War, when their job was to guard the edge of
the British North American empire in the colony of North
Carolina. Presentations will include military drill and
firing, artillery demonstrations, military engineering and
construction. A typical prayer service of the period will
also take place at 11 a.m. Sunday.
In
the late summer of 1756, the British settlers along North
Carolina's colonial frontier found themselves vulnerable
to Indian attack. Tensions began to run high. To allay these
fears, soldiers of the colony's frontier company began to
watch over this area and built a fort, which gave settlers
who felt they were in danger a place of refuge. During the
weekend programming, soldiers will prepare to construct
more permanent quarters and practice the skills of drilling,
marching, posting guard and firing muskets and swivel guns.
Visitors will have a chance to mingle with the men as they
go about the routine of a soldier's life on the "Indian
frontier" of the colony.
Living
History Weekend "Fortifying the Post"
May 8, 2007
STATESVILLE
— Experience the western colonial frontier with NC
Provincial Soldiers Saturday, May 12th, 10-4pm and Sunday,
May 13th, 12:00 PM- 4:00 PM at Ft. Dobbs State Historic
Site in Statesville. See the face of history as it was over
250 years ago as soldiers begin construction of the defenses
of Fort Dobbs as it was done in the spring of 1756. Programming
includes military drill and firing, artillery demonstrations
and a Divine Service at 12:00 PM on Sunday with the reading
of the Articles of War.
In
the spring of 1756 soldiers in Captain Waddell's frontier
company of provincials had spent the past winter in temporary
shelters in what was then Rowan County. By May with newly
allocated funds from the assembly they began work on their
home for the next 6 years, Fort Dobbs. Soldiers will work
on creating the outworks for an 18th century military installation
in addition to practicing the skills of drilling, marching,
and firing muskets and swivel guns.
Fort
Dobbs Gazette Receives Prestigious
State Museums Publication Award
March 13, 2007
DURHAM
— A Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site publication, the Ft. Dobbs Gazette, recently received the 2007 publication
award for Best Newsletter – Black and White from the
NC Museums Council (NCMC) at its recent annual meeting held
in Hickory. NCMC strives to enhance public education by
improving the administrative, interpretive, and collections
practices of museums, historic sites, science centers and
related facilities in North Carolina and annually recognizes
achievements in the state’s museums.
Published
by Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site, the Ft. Dobbs Gazette is a quarterly publication with approximately a thousand
readers from 10 states and 40 cities and counties in North
Carolina. The gazette highlights programming and site information,
historical articles, and photographs, as well as educational
material. Its content reflects the mission of the site,
which is to “preserve and interpret the history of
North Carolina’s only French and Indian War fort site
to all citizens and visitors.”
Funding
for the gazette is provided by the Friends of Ft. Dobbs,
a private, non-profit support group, supplemented by an
educational grant from Iredell County Commissioners.
Strategic
Planning Committee Formed to Help Chart Fort Dobbs Future
March 21, 2007
STATESVILLE
— A strategic planning committee has been named to
help plan the future of Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site near
Statesville. Composed primarily of local citizens representing
a cross section of groups or interests within the community,
the committee will prepare a plan to guide the site for
the next ten years. Areas to be covered in the plan include
preservation, site development, operations, programming,
and community involvement.
The
Friends of Ft. Dobbs, Inc., a local nonprofit group that
supports the historic site, and the Division of State Historic
Sites and Properties, which manages and operates the site,
are cosponsoring the planning effort. Using information
gathered through two public meetings held earlier this year,
the committee will begin its work at the end of this month
and continue until the plan is completed. Led by professional
facilitator Charles Page of the Coolspring Center, the committee
aims to submit its completed plan to the Division of Historic
Sites and Properties for approval by early fall.
“Strategic
planning is essential to the long-term success of any historic
site,” according to Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison,
“and the success of the planning process depends upon
participation. The Ft. Dobbs planning process is, indeed,
fortunate to have a number of local citizens who are willing
to donate their time and energy to the committee to make
this effort productive and to reflect the needs and interests
of the community.”
The
committee members and the groups they represent follow:
- Greater
Statesville Chamber of Commerce - David Bradley
- Statesville
Convention and Visitors Bureau - Edmund Pendrich
- NC Division of State Historic Sites - Beth Hill, Bob Remsburg
- Retired
Ft. Dobbs site manager - Louise Huston
- Greater
Statesville Downtown Corp. - Marin Tomlin
- Education
- Susan Allred (Iredell-Statesville Schools), Bill Moose
(Mitchell Community College), Glen Usury (Success Institute)
- Ft.
Dobbs Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution - Martha
Fowler
- Friends of Ft. Dobbs - Ralph Bentley, Chandler Bryan, Sandra
Gordon
- Government
- Ken Robertson (Iredell County), Mike Johnson (City of
Statesville), Cecil Stallard (City of Statesville) Iredell
County Historic Properties Commission – Lewis Alexander
- Neighborhood – Ginger Finley, John Karriker, Chuck
Nantz
- Iredell
County Cub Scouts – Bill Hicks
Recreating
Day to Day Life of 18th Century NC Provincial Soldiers
February 28, 2007
  STATESVILLE
— Recall how provincial soldiers lived on the state’s
western colonial frontier in the mid-18th century with the
NC Provincial Frontier Company, Saturday, March 3 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 4, from noon to 4 p.m.
at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville. See what
colonial soldiers did 250 years ago while preparing to defend
the fort against possible Cherokee attack. Sunday’s
programming will include services at noon, followed later
in the day by military activities and drill and musket and
artillery firing.
In
the spring of 1756, soldiers in Captain Waddell's frontier
company of provincials had spent the past winter in temporary
shelters in what was then Rowan County. Using new funds
from the colonial assembly, in March they began building
their home for the next six years, Ft. Dobbs. During the
two-day program, reenactor soldiers will work on creating
the outworks for an 18th century military installation and
will practice drilling, marching and firing muskets and
swivel guns.
Teacher
Workshop to Focus on French and Indian War
February 23, 2007
STATESVILLE
— The North Carolina Department of Instruction, in
cooperation with Fort Dobbs State Historic Site and the
French and Indian War 250th Inc. will host a workshop on
Friday, March 9, at the Iredell Statesville Schools ADR
Education Center, 410 Garfield St., in Statesville.
The
workshop is designed for teachers, administrators and supervisors
of social studies, especially those connected with Civics
and Economics, and those who teach 4th and 8th grades. Cost
for the workshop is $40. Registration forms, along with
additional information, are available online at http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/socialstudies.
Kelli
Thomas of DPI initiated the partnership with the 250th Inc.
and Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. The first half of the
workshop will be conducted by Jim Wetzler, National Educational
Advisor for the French and Indian War 250th Commemoration.
Wetzler, known as an interactive and engaging presenter,
will explore the themes of economic interdependence, societal
relationships, and leadership development.
Other
workshop highlights include:
-
An
interactive presentation on the economic, political, and
social impact of the French and Indian War on colonial
history and the history of the United States.
-
A
demonstration of standards-based thematic lessons which
will integrate disciplines and excite students.
-
An
interpretive program at Fort Dobbs State Historic site.
Participants
will receive a DVD of the PBS documentary, “The War
that Made America,” as well as an educator’s guide.
A one year “Sentinel” membership in the Friends
of Fort Dobbs will also be presented to the participants.
Second
Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site Master Planning Session
February 1, 2007
STATESVILLE
- In response to public comments, Ft. Dobbs State Historic
Site in Statesville will hold its second public forum launching
its master planning process, Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 7-9 p.m.
at the Statesville Depot, located in downtown Statesville
at 111 Depot Lane. The meeting's purpose is to seek public
input on how best to develop and use the site. This feedback
will be incorporated into a master plan for the site's future.
The forum is open to the public. Community members are also
invited to post additional comments at comments@coolspring.com.
Cool
Spring Center President and Senior Facilitator Charles Page
will moderate the session. A graduate of Davidson College
and UNC-Charlotte, Page has more than 33 years experience
in facilitating and community work in the region. Page will
assist in the planning process and compile the information
collected into a report that will be submitted to the NC
Division of State Historic Sites and the NC Department of
Cultural Resources. The strategic planning committee, which
will meet for several months following the public session,
will be made up of Iredell County community leaders. It
will develop a plan for the site and address issues such
as site development, programming and community involvement.
Under
active development for two years, Ft. Dobbs State Historic
Site was reopened to the public on a limited basis in July
2006. It had 7,808 visitors and hosted nine living history
weekends and special events last year. The site also conducted
30 outreach programs for 15,356 participants and was represented
at nine fairs and festivals, including the NC State Fair,
reaching 823,106 attendees.
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