Fort Christanna, near Gholsonville in present-day Brunswick County, Virginia, opened in 1714 under Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood as the British Empire’s westernmost outpost. Conceived during the Tuscarora War, it served as a fort, protected settlement, trading center, and school for Native peoples including the Saponi, Tutelo, Occaneechi, and Eno. Its pentagonal design, heavy cannon, and Native town reflected both military and diplomatic purposes. Charles Griffin’s school taught English literacy and Christian texts to many children. Political attacks on the Virginia Indian Company and reduced fears of western attack led to the fort’s closure by 1718, though Native communities remained on the tract for years afterward.