Shotwell is an unincorporated community in rural eastern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, located about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Knightdale and 11 miles (18 km) east of Raleigh at the confluence of Smithfield, Mial Plantation, Major Slade, Grasshopper, and Turnipseed Roads. Shotwell has been inhabited since the early 19th century and is home to a number of historic structures. A post office was established in 1883 but closed less than two decades later.