History
"... at Edwards on the Cacapehon...."

This phrase appears quite a few times in the writings of Col. Washington and of Gov. Dinwiddie during the French and Indian War. Its frequent occurrence gives an insight into the importance of this frontier fort during one of the most terrifying conflicts in our history.
Early Settlement
By 1748 settlers were beginning to move from the great Valley of the Shenandoah into the mountains to the west. Lord Fairfax who owned over five million acres was making land available in the western frontier area, many people were moving into the fertile river valleys. Joseph Edwards had secured a prime location in the Cacapon River valley. His four hundred acre tract sat astride the river somewhere near where the road from Winchester (formerly Fredericktowne) came into the valley. Eventually, his strong dwelling became a center of the community and a rallying point for the settlers when they were threatened by Indian raids.

With the opening of the French and Indian War in 1754, Edwards's location would become far more important. After General Braddock's defeat in 1755, the Virginia frontier was left open to attack by the French and their Indian Allies. (Click here to read Col. Washington's own report of the defeat of Gen. Braddock.) Although Quebec was far away, the French knew that a successful attack on Virginia's frontier might cause the British to cease their westward expansion. It was only natural for Col. George Washington to strengthen this site as a fort for his Virginia Regiment and as an important point for the protection of the road to the South Branch Valley forts.