Fort William

Botetourt County · dedicated 2024 · International Pkwy at Cherry Blossom Trail parking lot

Capt. William Preston constructed Fort William nearby in 1755 during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), part of a broader imperial conflict between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years’ War. This fort was one in a series of outposts built to protect Virginia’s frontier. A group of Cherokee, then allied with the British, visited in the fall of 1755, and Col. George Washington inspected the fort during his frontier tour in 1756. Indians attacked the fort in Oct. 1756, scattering nearby settlers. In 1763, during Pontiac’s War (1763–1766), settlers gathered at Fort William, or at a nearby successor fort built by Preston, for protection.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker program managed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Fort William

More markers nearby