STATESVILLE–Take advantage of a free time travel adventure this summer at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site! “Hands on History,” a new three-part interactive history program, will kick off Saturday, June 20, at the Statesville site.
At 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors will have a chance to learn about how an 18th-century musket was loaded with ammunition and fired, plus craft a real cartridge similar to the ammunition used by the soldiers stationed at Fort Dobbs in the mid-1700s. Then they can take home their cartridge as a souvenir.
Every third Saturday in June, July and August, Fort Dobbs is presenting 30-minute interactive, hands-on learning experiences tied to the history of the fort. Each session will allow visitors to gain deeper insights into what life was like for the provincial soldiers garrisoned at Fort Dobbs during the French and Indian War. In July, the program will highlight how these soldiers drilled on the colonial frontier. The August segment will detail what soldiers ate while on duty.
The “Hands on History” summer series is free, and participants of all ages are encouraged to attend. More details on the July and August “Hands on History” programs will be sent out later.
For more information on Fort Dobbs State Historic Site and this three-part summer program, visit www.fortdobbs.org, call (704) 873-5882 or e-mail info@fortdobbs.org.
The role of Fort Dobbs and North Carolina in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the first true world war, makes up an important chapter in the state’s colonial history. Built in 1756, the fort was named for Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs and manned by provincial soldiers. It was garrisoned from 1756-1761, sheltering frontier settlers during the war and serving as the colony’s western frontier company headquarters. When the fort was attacked February 27, 1760, the soldiers fought off more than 60 Cherokee.
Fort Dobbs’ mission is to preserve and interpret the history of North Carolina’s only French and Indian War fort. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., offering living history programs daily. Special events and living history weekends are offered throughout the year.
The fort is part of the Division of N.C. Historic Sites and Properties within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2009 theme observance of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.