Welcome to Davidson's Fort Historic Park

Welcome to Davidson's Fort Historic Park. . , By the late 1700's, European settlers had come into the Catawba Valley. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris mandated that colonial settlements would stop east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cherokee towns to the west would be secure. However in 1772, George Davidson, brother of Samuel, William and John received a royal Governors grant of 640 acres (a square mile) on land by the Catawba river bounding sites owned by the Alexanders and the Edmunsons. By the terms of the grant 50 families must settle your plot to have sufficient numbers to form a militia to act as a buffer between the Cherokee and the Eastern towns of Williamsburg, New Bern, and Charles Town When their father died, George, as the oldest son, inherited his land and gave the grant to his brothers. Samuel and his twin William built their homes along the river bring called the Upper and Lower forts. John's home place is unknown at this time., When the war with England began, British agents enticed the Cherokee to allegiance with King George, promising the hunting grounds back if the settlers in rebellion could be disposed of. In 1776, a letter to the Committee of Safety stated "the frontier is inflamed". Lt. Col. Charles McDowell wrote he was "holded up in a fort with 120 women and children and 10 men (over age 60) and attacked by indians". Escaping the siege by Old Abram and his band of Cherokees, the settlers journeyed to Cathey's fort heading for McDowell Station (now Morganton). Ambushed at the north fork of the Catawba, the settlers reached safety and found General Griffith Rutherford on advice from Thomas Jefferson moving west against the native towns. Sending Col. Martin Armstrong ahead to organize in early August, a force of 2400 men 1500 pack horses and 800 beef cattle, the largest gathering of militia in the war, Davidson's fort, the western most fort in the colonies, was chosen as the assembly and departer point for what is called "The Rutherford Trace", Walk in the footsteps of our Colonial Ancestors , It is 1776 and for the next several years, you stand at the western most outpost of present day North Carolina. You are under constant threat of attack from Cherokee and British Tories and although the September march against the Cherokere town by Gen. Rutherford diminished the tribes ability to field large number of warriors, the frontier was still a battleground. Davidson's fort was enlarged and the militia would be sent out to scout for native activity. During this time the fort was word to train and equip militia and as a place of safety for civilians., Through interpretive re-enactments and various demonstrations of colonial life, history comes alive for visitors., Davidson's Fort Historic Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported wholly by grants and donations. With no Federal or State funding and staffed by volunteers, we strive to present educational programs to schools and other groups. We can only continue with your GENEROSITY., Davidson's Fort is a chapter of the Overmountain Victory Trail Assocation. Hours of operation visit our Website: http://davidsonsforthistoricpark.com