Just east of the Shallowford Road bridge (that itself is south of US-421), this marker has the same text on both sides and points out a Revolutionary War site. It reads, "Colonial route across Yadkin River. Scene of Tory defeat by Whigs, 1780. Crossing used in 1781 by army of Lord Cornwallis. 600 yards south."
Online there is more information. Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River served as a major eighteenth‑century wagon crossing on the Great Wagon Road and became a focal point for travel and settlement in western North Carolina. It witnessed multiple military actions, including a 1780 Patriot victory over Surry County Loyalists, Cornwallis's 1781 pursuit of Greene across the river, and a brief clash during Stoneman's Raid in 1865. Its long use and repeated strategic importance made it one of the Piedmont's most historically significant river fords.
There is a spot here to stop to read the marker. There is also a path down to the riverbank on the west side of the bridge.
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