Fort Dinwiddie

Fort Dinwiddie was a wooden fortification on the Jackson River equipped with a covered log passageway connecting a corner blockhouse to an internal spring. The structure followed the typical design of 18th-century frontier forts built for defense and water access.

Virginia Militia constructed and operated the fort from 1755 to 1789, defending the frontier during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Its location on the Jackson River made it a strategic point for westward settlement and territorial control.

The fort represented a frontier outpost where colonial and indigenous forces clashed during a critical period of expansion. The site serves as a reminder of the complex encounters that shaped early American development.

The site is marked today by a location marker at the intersection of Highway 39 and Dinwiddie Trail near Bacova. Visitors can reach the spot easily by car and get a sense of where the fort once stood.

In June 1764, Delaware and Shawnee warriors besieged the fort for six hours, testing its defensive strength in a dramatic confrontation. This attack was among the fiercest assaults on the Virginia frontier at that time and demonstrated how vulnerable isolated outposts could be.