Fort Vause (also known as "Fort Vass" or "Vass' Fort") was built in 1753 in

Montgomery County, Virginia Montgomery County is a county located in the Valley and Ridge area of the U.S. state of Virginia. As population in the area increased, Montgomery County was formed in 1777 from Fincastle County, which in turn had been taken from Botetourt Count ...

, by Ephraim Vause. The historic site is near the town of

Shawsville, Virginia Shawsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,310 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg– Christiansburg Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of ...

The original fort was built in 1753 to protect the Vause home and his neighbors. It was attacked by

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

warriors in 1756, and most of the inhabitants were killed or taken prisoner.

Mary Draper Ingles Mary Draper Ingles (1732 – February 1815), also known in records as Mary Inglis or Mary English, was an American pioneer and early settler of western Virginia. In the summer of 1755, she and her two young sons were among several captives taken ...

, the wife of

William Ingles William Ingles (1729 – September, 1782), also spelled Inglis, Ingliss, Engels, or English, was a colonist and soldier in colonial Virginia. He participated in the Sandy Creek Expedition and was a signatory of the Fincastle Resolutions. He was ...

, had a pre-sentiment that the fort would be attacked, and asked her husband to leave. They left just in time, for a few days later Fort Vause was attacked. John and Matthew Ingles, younger brothers of William, stayed at the fort. John is credited with shooting a scout from a tree, and Matthew with fighting hand to hand until his rifle broke, then fighting with a frying pan handle. He was taken prisoner by the Shawnee, but later was released or escaped, but died a few months later. His brother John, and his wife and children, were all killed at the fort. A relief expedition led by Major

Andrew Lewis Andrew Lewis may refer to: Law and politics * Sir Andrew J. W. Lewis (1875-1952), Scottish businessman and politician; Lord Provost of Aberdeen * Andrew L. Lewis Jr. (1931–2016), American railroad executive and US Secretary of Transportation *And ...

arrived too late to aid the pioneers. An unknown number of settlers had been killed, and 150 were taken prisoner. Afterwards, the fort was hastily re-built by Captain Peter Hogg in 1756 as an earth and palisade construction, and was inspected by

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

later on that year as part of his tour of inspection of Southwestern Virginia.

Legacy

Fort Vause is a National Landmark, file #060-0017. The Fort Vause Archaeological Site was established in 1968. The second fort has been identified, and part of the first fort. "The site is now on the property of the Hinshelwood family, and Sarah and Holly Hinshelwood are eighth-graders at Shawsville Middle School."Key, Lindsay. 2006
"Shawsville students help on archaeological dig"

Roanoke Times ''The Roanoke Times'' is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia and is based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It is published by Lee Enterprises. In addition to its headquarters in Roanoke, it maintains a bureau in Christiansburg, ...

. May 23, 2006. A recreation of the fort is at the

Explore Park Explore Park is a passive recreation facility operated by the Roanoke County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. The park is located at milepost 115 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke County, Virginia, with of the park lying in Roanok ...

Roanoke County, Virginia Roanoke County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 96,929. Its county seat is Salem, but the county administrative offices are located in the unincorporated Cave ...

References

{{Reflist Colonial forts in Virginia Vause 1756 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies 1756 establishments in Virginia Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia