Fort Pearsall marker at Indian Mound Cemetery

Fort Pearsall was an early frontier fort constructed in 1756 in Romney, West Virginia (then known as Pearsall’s Flats, Virginia) to protect local settlers in the South Branch Potomac River valley against Indian raids. The area around present-day Romney had been settled as early as 1725 by hunters and traders in the valley. Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Early 20th Century view of Romney The Old Hampshire County Courthouse (c. ... Head: source near Hightown, Highland County, VA. Mouth: junction with North Branch Potomac River to form Potomac River near Green Spring, Hampshire County, WV. Topo Map (http://www. ... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ...

Fort Pearsall was originally erected as a log house with a stockade by Job Pearsall (Pearsal or Pearsoll) and his brother John on their plantation in an area between Indian Mound Cemetery and the South Branch Potomac River near the river crossing of the old Fort Loudoun Road (Northwestern Turnpike) to Winchester in 1738. Job Pearsall and his brother John constructed the stockade to protect the settlers of Pearsall's Flats and the South Branch Potomac Valley. The brothers also constructed a number of homes for settlers that same year. Elevation cross-section of US 50 between Romney and Gormania, WV US 50 follows the Northwestern Turnpikes path. ... Winchester is a city located in the state of Virginia. ... Events January 1 - Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. ...

Pearsall’s stockade was provisioned as a fort for the Virginia colonial militia by George Washington in 1755 and garrisoned in 1756. The fort came under the command of Captain Robert McKenzie during the French and Indian War. Fort Pearsall was garrisoned at various times during the war until 1758. At around 1758, there were at least 100 people living in the general area of Pearsall's Flats. State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ... A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732–December 14, 1799) was an American planter, political figure, and military leader. ... 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Robert Trelford McKenzie (September 11, 1917–October 12, 1981) was a Vancouver, Canada-born professor of Politics and a psephologist. ... The French and Indian War is the American name for the decisive nine-year conflict (1754-1763) in North America between Great Britain and France, which was one of the theatres of the Seven Years War. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

After the hostilities in the area, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron recognized the fact that more settlers would be interested in moving into the South Branch Potomac Valley and that he would gain substantial revenue from the sales of plots of land in the Pearsall’s Flats vicinity. Lord Fairfax sent a survey party to Pearsall's in 1762 to formally lay out the town into 100 lots. Lord Fairfax then renamed the town Romney in honor of the Cinque Ports city on the English Channel. Some confusion ensued for several decades concerning the ownership of land within the town as counterclaims were made by the original settlers and those who purchased lots laid out by Lord Fairfax's surveyors. Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the friend and patron of George Washingtons early life, born in Leeds Castle, Kent, England, 1692; died at his seat at Greenway Court, Clarke County, Virginia, December 12, 1781; son of Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and of Catharine, daughter... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Formally, in Kent and Sussex there are five Head Ports making up the Confederation of the Cinque Ports. ... The English Channel, also for some time known as the British Sea (French: La Manche, the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ...

Pearsall’s Fort was garrisoned again in 1774 for Dunmore’s War. The fort remained standing out of use for a number of years before falling into total disrepair in the late eighteenth century. Today, a marker stands in Indian Mound Cemetery by the "Yellow Banks" overlooking the South Branch commemorating Fort Pearsall. Alongside the marker is a pile of what are thought to be remnants of the old fort. 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

External Links

• William H. Ansel Jr.'s Fort Pearsall Article