Cathey's Fort [1]
Cathey's Fort
[2]Cathey's Fort was built in McDowell County [3] by William Cathey in 1776. Cathey had purchased land near Turkey Cove at the foot of the mountains and there, where Cove Creek joined the North Fork of the Catawba River [4], he made his home. The fort was raised to protect Cathey's family and his neighbors from the Cherokee Indians [5]. Until Davidson's Fort was built soon afterward in what is now Old Fort, Cathey's Fort was the farthest western military outpost in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War [6]. Both forts played a part in the western campaigns of the war, including events leading up to the Battle of King's Mountain [7] on 7 Oct. 1780.
References:
Pat Alderman, The Overmountain Men (1986).
Lyman C. Draper, King's Mountain and Its Heroes: History of the Battle of King's Mountain, October 7th 1780 and the Events Which Led to It (repr., 1967).
Additional Resources:
"Cathey's Fort." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program/Markers.aspx?ct=ddl&sp=search&k=Markers&sv=N-26 [8] (accessed August 31, 2012).
North Carolina Office of Archives and History. "Cathey's Fort: Consideration of potential development as a state historic site." 2004. https://cdm16062.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p249901coll22,647277 [9] (accessed October 19, 2012).
"McDowell County: The Cathey-Wofford-Greenlee House." Instructional Technology Section, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. http://www.ncwiseowl.org/carolinaclips/counties/mcdowell/mcdowell/cathys.html [10] (accessed August 31, 2012).
Brook, David L. S. "Division Of Historical Resources: Research Branch." Biennial report of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. 2002-2004. p.7-12. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/biennial-report-of-the-north-carolina-office-of-archives-and-history-2002-2004-50th/2934141 [11] (accessed August 31, 2012).
Image Credits:
North Carolina Office of Archives and History. "Cathey's Fort: Consideration of potential development as a state historic site." 2004. p.5. https://cdm16062.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p249901coll22,647277 [9] (accessed October 19, 2012).
1 January 2006 | Suther, Steve