The French and Indian War Foundation of Frederick County, Virginia recently purchased a house lot within the bounds of the archaeological site of Fort Loudoun. The lot contains the original well that Col. Washington ordered dug within the fort and also the site of the northwest basion of the fort. Unfortunately, no visible signs of the bastion remain. It is hoped that the well may be intact under a modern concrete cap and pump shown to the right.

   Ft. Loudoun in Winchester was Col. Washington's headquarters. It was the most formidable of the Virginia forts. The fort was never attacked.

  During a recent archaeological dig several features were discovered including a remnant of a bore hole used to blast the limestone rock with black powder during the building of the fort. (see photo below)

We wish the French and Indian War Foundation well in their new committment to preserve and interpret a small portion of the site of Col. Washington's headquarters fort. George Washington was the one who fired the first shots in the far northwest Ohio country, and he organized the Virginia Regiment which protected the Virginia frontier after Braddock's defeat. He deserves this fitting memorial at Fort Loudoun in Winchester, Virginia.