North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will start construction on a new $2 million visitor center April 28, the first major improvement since the reconstructed fort opened in 2019.
The new 3,700 sq. ft. structure will be more than five times bigger than the current visitor center.
In addition to a contemporary exhibit gallery, the new building will have an expanded gift shop, lobby, and office spaces. The Friends of Fort Dobbs will oversee the project. Construction is expected to take 6-8 months with the grand opening anticipated by early 2026.
The current visitor center was built by the Fort Dobbs Chapter of the Daughters’ of the American Revolution (DAR) as a meeting house in 1941.
“Thanks to the tireless advocacy of the Friends of Fort Dobbs, there will be a purpose-built visitor center at this historic site for the first time,” said Site Manager Scott Douglas. “I am thrilled to have more space and a proper museum gallery in which to tell the larger story of North Carolina in the French and Indian War!”
Situated in the Piedmont region of North Carolina near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Fort Dobbs interprets the French and Indian War (1754-1763) or Seven Years War. As the only state historic site associated with the period, it represents the state’s link with a global war for empire that crossed five continents, lasted nearly a decade, and sowed the seeds for independence.