Fort Upper Tract

Fort Upper Tract (1756-1758) - A French & Indian War era fort established in 1756 near the town of Upper Tract, Pendleton County, West Virginia. Attacked, captured, burned, and abandoned in 1758. History A French and Indian War stockade, built in early 1756 at the direction of Captain Thomas Waggener in compliance with orders of Colonel George Washington who was in charge of frontier defenses. It stood a short distance west of the South Branch of the Potomac. The Fort was built between 21 Aug 1756 and 9 Nov 1756, by Lieutenant Lomax and 20 soldiers aided by local settlers. It was constructed of wood in a quadrangular shape. The fort, then commanded by Captain James Dunlap, was attacked on 27 Apr 1758, by a party of French and Indians who captured and burned the defense. Captain Dunlap and 22 others were killed. The next day, the same war party laid siege to Fort Seybert, about 10 miles to the southeast, and massacred its occupants. About 60 were killed and missing at the two forts. Abandoned in 1758. Current Status The exact location of the fort is not known and at least two locations are indicated. Location: Upper Tract, Pendleton County, West Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 38.790319 Long: -79.270929 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' GPS Locations: 38.790319, -79.270929 First location 38.778885, -79.277365 Corrected Location See Also: French & Indian War Fortifications - West Virginia French & Indian War Fortifications - Virginia Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, pages 847-848. Baker, Norman L., French and Indian War in Frederick County Virginia, 2000 reprint 2016, The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, Buckley's Printing, pages 136-137. Links: North American Forts - Fort Upper Tract e-WV - Fort Upper Tract Fortification ID: WV0298 - Fort Upper Tract Visited: No