John Boyd and his family began operating Boyd's Ferry on the Dan River here in 1749, carrying people, wagons, and supplies across the river on long flatboats. In early 1781, General Nathanael Greene prepared Boyd's Ferry in Virginia as a crossing for his army. Before his American army hurried to the Dan River on February 14, 1781, ferry boats from along the river were brought here to carry Greene's troops to the other side, and earthworks were built along the riverbanks to protect the army as it crossed.