Commems Collection Medals: 2010 Fort Dobbs 250th Anniversary Of Cherokee Attack

North Carolina was not a major battleground in the French and Indian War (1754-63) - the Seven Years War everywhere but the US. However, to help protect frontier settlers from French-allied Native American attacks, the NC Provincial Government authorized construction of a fort near present-day Statesville; it was built in 1756. The Fort was subject to attack by local Cherokee just once, in February 1760, and the soldiers garrisoned there successfully repelled it.

After the conclusion of the War, the settlement frontier moved farther west and Fort Dobbs was no longer needed. The Fort was dismantled and its support buildings were left unattended, eventually falling into ruin.

I remember visiting the Fort Dobbs site when there wasn't yet a fort! There were stakes in the ground with string tied between them to give visitors a sense of the size and location of the fort, but at that point a reconstructed fort was still a goal for the future. I also remember it being hot that day, with a cloudless sky and and an intense sun shining down. I asked the Park Ranger/Tour Guide, who was dressed in a contemporary woolen soldier's uniform, "How don't you overheat while giving tours in this heat?" He replied that it was something that he and the other Rangers on the team had gotten used to and didn't think too much about. Good for him! I was sweating!

While poking around the Gift Shop in the site's Visitor Center, I came across a lone commemorative medal marking the 250th anniversary of the attack on the fort. Naturally, I purchased it as my souvenir of the visit. On its obverse. the medal depicts a ground-level, partial view of Fort Dobbs with outline portrait renderings of a colonial soldier and Native American (Cherokee) warrior below it; "250th" is superimposed over the two portraits. Encircling the central design near the rim are the inscriptions: "Fort Dobbs and the Struggle for America" and "February 27, 1760" separated by five-pointed stars. *February 27, 1760 was the date Fort Dobbs was attacked by the Cherokee.)

The golden bronze medal is uniface - i.e., has a blank reverse - and is struck in low-relief. It is 63 millimeters (~2-1/2") in diameter and weighs ~70 grams (~2.5 ounces). It was sold in a black, free-standing, "Floating Frame" that measures 4" x 4". I seem to recall a selling price of $15, but I could be off by a few dollars - it was not an expensive purchase.

2010 Fort Dobbs 250th Anniversary Medal - Obverse


2010 Fort Dobbs 250th Anniversary Medal - Information Leaflet


(The miniature leaflet is just 2" wide by 2-1/2" tall.)



For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, see: Commems Collection.


For more about Fort Dobbs, visit:

- Fort Dobbs State Historic Site


For a brief video about the firt's reconstruction, have a look at: