Trading Ford
Area History

 

Trading Ford: Heart of Old Rowan 

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The Trading Ford (between present Davidson and Rowan counties, NC) afforded one of the earliest known crossings of the Yadkin River and access to present Rowan county and lands west of the Yadkin. It is rich in history and culture, from pre-historic Indians, an early failed colonization effort by the Spanish (1567-68), journeys of explorers John Lederer (1670) and John Lawson (1701) among others, through European colonization begun in the 1700s, to modern times.  It was here that General Nathanael Greene foiled Cornwallis' British pursuit in the Revolutionary War, and the last Civil War Confederate victory in North Carolina was won at Camp Yadkin.
 

 
Sign the Petition to Save Trading Ford Area Historic Sites!


The historic Trading Ford

Detail from the Collet Map of 1770  

Trading Ford Images  

Voyage Down the Yadkin-Great Peedee, Douglas L. Rights, 1928  

This Was Home, Hope Summerell Chamberlain 1938
 

The earliest inhabitants and Spanish exploration 

·  INSIGHT (First of a Series) by Geitner Simmons, Salisbury Post

·  1940s Digs Uncovered Artifacts

·  Understanding the 'Original Southerners'

·  Spanish Empire Failed to Conquer Southeast

·  Prairies and Bottomland Forests are among Rowan's Lost Habitats

·  An Unknown South: Pardo Story Helps Rowan Learn about Itself

The Berry Site: Archaeological examination of Joara Indian settlement and Spanish Fort San Juan in the Catawba Valley
 

Exploration in 1670 and 1701

A New Voyage to Carolina, John Lawson (1701) (Full Text); Excerpt describing the Trading Ford area

 Map of the Trading Path
 

Early settlers

History and Development of the Jersey Settlement

 The Ellis Family Cemetery, Davidson county, NC

 The Torrence Mansion and the Heights of Gowerie
 

Role in the Revolutionary War

 Two camps near the Yadkin Ford

Fateful day at Trading Ford: In February 1781, Rowan was the site of a crucial encounter between British troops and Nathanael Greene's patriot forces

Race to the Dan map

 General Joseph Graham's Account of British Pursuit of Greene to the Trading Ford

 Papers of General Nathanael Greene

 · February 3, 1781, Letter to Gov. Abner Nash

· February 3, 1781, Letter to Baron Steuben

· February 9, 1781, Letter to George Washington

Dedication of Trading Ford Memorial, Davidson county, NC, 1929

 For further information - a selected bibliography

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REPORT TO CONGRESS  GIVES HIGHEST NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE TO TRADING FORD REVOLUTIONARY WAR SITE


A Sister Ford

The Yadkin Ford and John Long's/Cowan's/Hedrick's Ferry
 

The Yadkin's First Bridges

Beard Bridge 1818 and Piedmont Toll Bridge 1899
 

The War between the States

Stoneman's Raid: Salisbury and the Yadkin River Bridge
 

Civil War Preservation Trust names Yadkin River Bridge one of America's 25 Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields in 2008  

Trading Ford:  Ten thousand years of Piedmont North Carolina History

Download in Word Format (964K)


There've been posts on a relic-hunters' forum about looting the Trading Ford area for the personal gain of a few.  In order to protect these irreplaceable historic sites for the benefit of all, we've had to remove all specific maps from our website.  Please see:  Protect our Archaeological Resources!


Also by this author: | North Carolina RevWeb | The Battle of Shallow Ford |

           © 2001 Ann Brownlee.  All rights reserved.

 

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To contact us:  Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association

400 Lantz Avenue
Salisbury, NC 28144
phone:  (704) 633-3125
email: 
preservation at trading-ford dot org