Colonel William Preston constructed Fort William nearby in 1755 during the French and Indian War (1754 – 1763) as one in a series of fortifications to protect Virginia’s frontier. A group of Indians paid a friendly visit in October 1755, and Colonel George Washington inspected the fort during his frontier tour in 1756. Indians attacked the fort in October 1756 but were repulsed. In 1763, during Pontiac’s War (1763 – 1764), nearby settlers flocked to Fort William for protection.