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Groups honored for preserving Fort Dobbs
Photo by Regan Hill
A new exhibit was unveiled Saturday at Fort Dobbs.
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Published: October 4, 2009
About 100 years ago, a group of women decided preserving the history of Fort Dobbs for future posterity was a good idea.
On Saturday, state and city officials, attendees at the fort's annual Trade Faire and the Friends of Fort Dobbs honored the vision of the Fort Dobbs Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution by unveiling a wayside exhibit.
"Our chapter has always known the history," said Betty Boyd, a former vice president general of NSDAR. "I'm so glad we are involved."
Officially organized on April 29, 1908, by Leila McRae Thomas, who was assisted by T.J. (Stonewall) Jackson of the Mecklenburg chapter, the original name was the Iredell Chapter, but changed to Fort Dobbs later that year.
In 1909, the chapter spearheaded the community's interest in the site and accepted the donation of a 1,000-square-foot lot from John Hatchett. By 1915, the DAR had 10 acres of site land.
In 1941, the Fort Dobbs chapter built the cabin, which is now the visitors center, as part of its Golden Jubilee project.
Throughout the years, the chapter has emphasized educational outreach. The state took over the site in 1971.
"It has always been and will always be our desire that the proper history of the site of Fort Dobbs, indeed all places of historical interest, be preserved and promoted in a manner that is honoring to their legacy," said Kathleen Hatchett, regent of the Fort Dobbs chapter.
"We will endeavor to perpetuate the memory and spirit of those who have gone before us and to foster patriotic citizenship in our community with respect, integrity and hard work," she said.
Hatchett said it is important that the DAR's sense of pride in the historic site be tempered with a sense of humility.
Historic Site Manager Beth Hill said the unveiling of the DAR exhibit is about remembering the people who helped the Fort Dobbs site get to where it is today.
"Their vision is to know how important it would be for future generations," she said.
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle said it was an honor to be a beneficiary of the NSDAR's vision. She said she was excited about the strategic plan being implemented at the fort and the fort's future building plans.
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