Ingles Ferry on Virginia’s New River developed from a Native American crossing into a major frontier transportation and settlement site where a ford, ferry, tavern, road, and later bridge met. William and Mary Draper Ingles settled here after Mary’s 1755 escape from Shawnee captivity, and William soon operated an officially authorized ferry while protecting the area with Fort Hope. The tavern built in 1772 became an important stop on inland migration routes, and the crossing grew heavily used by westbound travelers. A covered bridge opened in 1843, was burned during the Civil War in 1864, and the site also saw a skirmish in 1865. Archaeology has revealed both frontier remains and much older Native American occupation.