Coon's Fort Historical Marker

During the 1770s, the Virginia backcountry seethed with conflict between westward-pushing white settlers and Native American tribes determined to halt incursions into their lands. In 1774, Lord Dunmore's War (named for Virginia's colonial governor) erupted between Virginia militia and Ohio Valley Indian tribes such as the Shawnee, Delaware, and Mingo. Although the Natives were defeated in October 1774 at the Battle of Point Pleasant, the ensuing peace proved short-lived. The American Revolution broke out in April 1775, and in the following years, British-allied Native American tribes continued to strike along the Virginia frontier.

In the summer of 1774, as white frontier communities braced for Indian attacks, construction began on Coon's Fort. Located on lands of Joseph Coon and his family, the small fort stood on a knoll and overlooked Coon's Run, which runs into the West Fork River. Joseph and Philip Coon oversaw construction, though James Booth (an early settler to the area) may have assisted. The fort consisted of two-story blockhouse, eight cabins, and a stockade. Construction was completed sometime around 1777, and Coon's Fort offered protection for surrounding Virginia families. It was located in what is today Marion County, just a half mile north of the Harrison County line, near Worthington, WV.

In the summer of 1777, Native Americans struck near the fort. Young Maudline Coon left the safety of the fort to gather some hemp in a nearby field alongside the road. As the young girl went about her business, Thomas Cunningham and Enoch James passed her by and spoke with her for awhile and then continued on their way. As Cunningham and James continued up the road, they heard a gunshot behind them and turned to witness a terrible scene.

Two Native Americans emerged from the brush to ambush Maudline. One of them climbed over a fence during his approach, but the girl spotted him and began to flee. The Indian shot her to prevent her escape, then dispatched her with a tomahawk and took her scalp. Seeing the attack, Enoch James fired at the Indian from a distance but missed. The settlers in the fort likewise heard the attack and quickly rushed out to pursue the Indians, but they evaded the settlers and were never caught.

Joseph Coon died in 1798, and use of the fort eventually ceased. Benjamin Brice built a mill and iron furnace near the mouth of Coon's Run around 1812. Today, a 2008 state historical marker acknowledges Coon's Fort place in local history; the historical marker stands several miles north of the fort's original location (nothing remains of the fort, and the location is on private land).

1. Alexander Scott Withers. Chronicles of Border Warfare. Edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites. 1895. Reprint. Cincinnati, OH: Stewart & Kidd, 1920.

2. Henry Haymond. History of Harrison County, West Virginia. Morgantown, WV: Acme Publishing, 1910.

3. George A. Dunnington. History and Progress of the County of Marion, West Virginia. Fairmont, WV: G.A. Dunnington, 1880.

4. Elizabeth Wilson Ballard. "Background--Coon's Fort and Coon's Run, Marion County, West Virginia." July 25, 2016. Coon Family Genealogy. Web. Accessed September 18, 2020. https://coongenealogy.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/background-coons-fort-and-coons-run-marion-county-west-virginia/

5. Elizabeth Wilson Ballard. "Background--More About Coon's Fort." September 9, 2019. Coon Family Genealogy. Web. Accessed September 18, 2020. https://coongenealogy.wordpress.com/2019/09/09/background-more-about-coons-fort/

6. "Coon's Fort." February 1, 2013.GloverSmith [blog]. Web. Accessed September 18, 2020. https://gloversmith.blogspot.com/2013/02/coons-fort.html

7. H.H. Hardesty. Hardesty's West Virginia Counties. Vol. 2. Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1973.