• By Sue deGuzman
• Posted Tuesday, June 6, 2023

"History and Future of the New Shallow Ford State Historic Site"

Please join us as the Lewisville Historical Society Presents: "History and Future of the New Shallow Ford State Historic Site" on Monday, July 10 at 6 p.m. at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center in Lewisville. In partnership with the Lewisville Branch Library, the featured presentation will be the story of the history and establishment of the Shallow Ford as a new state historic site. Not yet open, the site will be available for public use in the near future and will offer interpretive markers, walking trails, picnicking, and more for the public.

Never heard of the Shallow Ford of the Yadkin River? The Shallow Ford was an important crossing place in the Yadkin River that allowed buffalo, Native Americans, and then frontiersmen and settlers to cross the Yadkin River safely. Its hard rock bottom spans an area of 100 feet wide and 300 feet across from bank to bank. Used in the 18th and 19th centuries to the early 20th century, it allowed farmers with heavily laden wagons to bring their products from the backcountry to sell in Winston, Salem and beyond. It was a link in the Great Wagon Road as the principal frontier migration route from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Augusta, Georgia. The Great Wagon Road went right through Forsyth County and Lewisville. The Shallow Ford allowed movement from east to west and contributed to the settlement of the American West.

The program will begin with light refreshments to be served at 6:00 p.m. There will be a short business meeting and announcements at 6:15 p.m. and the featured portion will begin at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will include a slide show of the 245-acre site as well as a panel of speakers who will discuss the history and significance of the site, the process of establishing its designation as historic, and the future plans for the site. The speakers will be:

Merrikay Brown, president of the Lewisville Historical Society
Andy Kelly, member of the Bethabara Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution
Scott Douglas, site manager of Fort Dobbs and Shallow Ford

The property owner, Jean Messick, wished to preserve the site, as she understood the significance of the Shallow Ford in the River and the Great Wagon Road cut that runs across the property which later became the Salem to Shallow Ford Road. She appreciated its beautifully rolling hills and forests and thought it should be a place for the community to enjoy. In 1992, when the Yadkin County and Lewisville Historical Societies began regular Shallow Ford Walk events that continue to the present time, the significance and need for preservation of the site connected with the community. In 2018, with the leadership of the local Bethabara Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the effort to preserve the Shallow Ford began. With the help, vision, and support of local citizens, historical groups, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, the Conservation Fund, and North Carolina legislators, the Shallow Ford State Historic Site was established, planned, and then dedicated on December 13, 2022.

"History and Future of the New Shallow Ford State Historic Site"
Monday, July 10 at 6 p.m.
Mary Alice Warren Community Center
7632 Warren Park Dr.
Lewisville, NC 27023

"Lewisville Historical Society presents ..." is a bimonthly program of the society that is presented in partnership with the Lewisville Branch Library and includes a brief business meeting of the society at the start of each presentation. Program topics range from local history to information about historical sites to antiquities. Participants do not need to be members of the society to attend. All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the library at 336-703-2940 or the Lewisville Historical Society at 336-766-5842.

"Lewisville Historical Society Presents..." occurs bimonthly and will be held on the following dates for the remainder of 2023:
Monday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.

All Forsyth County Public Library programs are free and open to the public. Click here for driving directions to the Mary Alice Warren Community Center.

Photo Caption: The Shallow Ford: Forsyth County side (l), Yadkin County side (r). Photos taken during a Lewisville Historical Society-sponsored walk, Aug. 27, 2022. Photos by Merrikay Brown, president of LHS.