Davidson's Fort

Davidson's Fort
Map
General information
StatusOpen to the public
TypeReconstructed fort
LocationOld Fort, North Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates35°37′38″N 82°10′44″W / 35.6272°N 82.1789°W / 35.6272; -82.1789
Technical details
Floor count2
Floor area2,600,000 sq ft (242,000 m2)
Website
davidsonsforthistoricpark.com

Davidson's Fort was a Revolutionary War frontier fort and precursor of town of Old Fort, North Carolina.[1] It was built in 1776 to protect the white settlers from the Cherokee.[1][2] Davidson's Fort was one of dozens of similar outposts constructed along the frontiers in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to protect settlers from Native Americans who had sided with the British in the war.[1] It was also known as Catawba Fort, Fort Royal, Old Fort, Rutherford's Fort, and Upper Fort.[3][4]

Local tradition says Davidson's Fort was located on the site of the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Centerin Old Fort.[1] The nonprofit Davidson' Fort Historic Park operates an interpretive replica fort located near the site of the original fort.[5] In 2019, Davidson's Fort was included in the proposed Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor; the congressional act for the heritage corridor passed in July 2022.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d Pyatt, Janet (2017-07-02). "A Short History of Davidson's Fort (As We Know It So Far)" (PDF). Wayback Machine. Davidson's Fort Historic Park. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  2. ^ Hodge, Alan (November 2014). "State Strongholds". Our State: 10 – via North Carolina Digital Collections.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Davidson's Fort was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lewis, J. D. NC Patriots 1775-1783: Their Own Words, Volume 2, Part 1. JD Lewis. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4675-4809-0 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Home". Davidsons Fort Historic Park. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  6. ^ "US Congress HR1286 | Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor Act of 2021". Track Bill. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  7. ^ Norman, Ralph. The Southern Campaign of the Revolution National Heritage Corridor Act H.R. 3936/S. 2436 Fact Sheet. 2019