Colonial Fort
Near here stood a fortified dwelling used for shelter during periods of warfare between European colonists and Native Americans. To this fort in 1756 came Mary Draper Ingles (Mrs. William Ingles) for protection following her escape from captivity by the Shawnee Indians. She was taken prisoner on 30 July 1755 following an attack on the Draper's Meadows settlement in Montgomery County near present-day Blacksburg. The story of her forced march to the Ohio Indian towns, her subsequent escape, and her long trek back home is part of the folklore of frontier Virginia. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), many settlers abandoned this area and fled eastward.
Marker is on West Lynchburg Salem Turnpike (U.S. 460) 0.3 miles west of Circle K Road (Virginia Route 751), in the median.
Courtesy hmdb.org
