Trout Rock Fort

Along Route 220, a West Virginia Highway Historic Marker notes the general location of Trout Rock Fort. Part of a line of forts constructed during the French and Indian War by George Washington, Trout Rock Fort protected the southern approach to the town of Franklin. Today, the exact location of the fort is unknown, however, it was most likely along the South Branch of the Potomac River.

During the French and Indian War (the American theater of the global conflict known as the Seven Years' War), the Virginia House of Burgesses ordered George Washington to construct a line of forts to protect the frontier of the Virginia colony. Trout Rock Fort was one of several including Fort Seybert and Fort Upper Tract to sit within today's Pendleton County. The ultimate fate of Trout Rock Fort is still undocumented, although Forts Seybert and Upper Tract were destroyed during the French and Indian War. The original fort was comprised of a 60-foot square stockade and two blockhouses.

During the Civil War, the area is noted for being the site of a saltpeter mine, which was utilized by the south to extract resources for the Confederate War effort (a nearby Highway Historic Marker notes this fact). Confederate forces supposedly used the old fortress area to protect the mines. Trout Rock also marked the end of the Union retreat from the Battle of McDowell. Union forces would subsequently move north to occupy the town of Franklin before moving elsewhere.

Geology of the Trout Rock caves (Hamilton Cave, Trout Cave, New Trout Cave) in Pendleton County, West Virginia (USA), and implications regarding the origin of maze caves, United States Geological Survey. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70209424.

Eastern West Virginia, North American Forts. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/wveast.html.