The Wilderness Road

5. Fort Loudoun

Winchester, VA

On this site in 1756, George Washington supervised construction of Fort Loudoun, the most formidable fort on Virginia's colonial frontier. It served as the command center for the Virginia Regiment and a chain of forts built to protect citizens. Situated on high ground north of town, and equipped with 25 pieces of artillery, Fort Loudoun overlooked and protected the developing community. Still on the site is the fort's well, dug through 103 feet of limestone. The ground is now owned by the French & Indian War Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Col. George Washington's frontier fort.