History of Fort RandolphThe first fort stood
on the apex of the upper angle formed by the confluence of the Great Kanawha and
Ohio Rivers. It was built in November 1774 and named Fort Blair, after John
Blair, by Captain William Russell who was both the designer and builder. Captain
Russell evacuated the fort June, 1775 and it was destroyed. Captain Mathew Arbuckle
was ordered to rebuild the fort in May of 1776 and he named it Fort Randolph in
honor of Peyton Randolph. It was in this fort that the murder of Cornstalk, the
Shawnee chief, occurred. For some unknown cause, the fort was evacuated in 1779
and was burned by the Indians. Probably in 1785,
another fort was erected for the protection of the inhabitants during the Indian
Wars. It was on the Ohio River bank, fifty rods above its predecessors. Colonel
Thomas Lewis was in charge. Fort Randolph was constructed
in honor of the American Revolution Bicentennial. Groundbreaking was on October
13,1973 and dedication was on October 13,1974.
|