PHOTOS BY BRANDY TEMPLETON

In the spring of 1759, the Yadkin and Catawba River valleys were ravaged by fighting as small parties of Cherokee took revenge for the murder of their loved ones by settlers in Virginia. Many British settlers fled, while others found shelter within the walls of Fort Dobbs. No full-time soldiers were present at the time, but the building still offered refuge.

Saturday’s event at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site illustrated what life at the fort was like after it was taken over by the civilians of the Fourth Creek Settlement.