Fort Ohio (also known as the "New Store") was a

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...

fort erected by

Job Pearsall Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...

in 1749 on the present site of Ridgeley, West Virginia. The building was of log construction, long and wide, with two stories. Its name comes from the

Ohio Company The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country (approximately the present U.S. state of Ohio) and to trade with the Native Ameri ...

which did have a trading post at that location. The Ohio Company found success because a trail across the Allegheny Mountains from the Potomac River at Cumberland to near modern-day Pittsburgh offered a direct route to the Ohio River.

Buildings

The building contained a garret and dry cellar, used for the storage of furs, the size of the structure itself. The building also contained living quarters for a trader by the name of Hugh Parker. A few years later another building, much of the same structure, was built near the original storage building, also with a garret and cellar. A stable, meat house and dairy were also constructed close to the main building, all fortified by Governor Dinwinddie of Virginia. Fort Ohio was one of a chain of four forts protecting the frontier. Fort Ohio was the first in the chain with

Fort Sellers Fort Sellers was a small stockade on the east side of Pattersons Creek at the confluence with the Potomac River, in Franklin District, in present-day Mineral County, West Virginia Mineral County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. I ...

next, then

Fort Ashby Fort Ashby is a historic stockade fort located in Fort Ashby, West Virginia, US. A military installation constructed during the French and Indian War, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Origin On October 26, 1755, Colone ...

and Fort Cocke as the outermost forts. Fort Ohio was abandoned when

Fort Cumberland A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

was erected about 1754, directly across the river in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Fort Cumberland was, for its time and type, a large, elaborate

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

. Although originally built as a storage building for furs, it was converted to a blockhouse on September 7, 1754.

Military involvement

New Store became an important role for the military on operations regarding the French and Indians early in the conflict. On September 7, 1754, Governor Dinwiddie wrote to Governor Sharpe of Maryland that he had ordered Colonel James Innis at Fort Cumberland to take possession of the Ohio Company's storehouse and to make a magazine out of it. Dinwiddie also reported that he had directed the building of a breastwork on the company property and had authorized cannon to be mounted for its defense. However Fort Ohio was never formally garrisoned by troops from the Virginia regiment. Because it was only away from

, although separated by the river, it did not seem necessary that it should be garrisoned. The Ohio Company had employed many frontiersmen to trap the fur animals, and these riflemen were expected to defend the fort if it was to be attacked by Indians. Soldiers from Fort Cumberland spent time at Fort Ohio when not on duty, therefore it was deemed not necessary to place regular troops at the fort.

References

History of Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Landmarks in West Virginia Buildings and structures in Mineral County, West Virginia

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

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