Alexander Spotswood (1676-1740) served as Governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722. Born in Africa to a Scottish family, he had distinguished himself at the Battle of Bleinheim, where he was wounded, before being appointed governor in 1710. Energetic and ambitious, he was the first governor to recognize the promise and value of developing frontier lands. He sought stable relations with Virginia’s Indians and those in neighboring territories to preserve peace along the uneasy frontier by protecting settlers. His aims were also financial, as he wanted to capture the lucrative fur trade south of the James, and to do so he established the Virginia Company to trade with Indians at this fort, which he laid out himself and named Christanna. His interest in the education and religious education of Native Americans led him to support both the Indian School here and the Indian School at the College of William and Mary. He built a house a half-mile east of Fort Christanna. After his term as governor, he married and retired to his home near his ironworks in Germanna in Spotsylvania County, which was named in his honor.