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
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
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
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
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
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.