Fort Ross Chapel was part of the settlement founded by the Russians in 1812 and known as Fort Ross. The fort was in the form of a quadrangle, about 300 feet square, enclosed by a redwood wall, with two blockhouses at opposite corners. Fort Ross contained fifty-nine buildings, nine of which, including this chapel, were within the enclosure. The Russians withdrew in 1841, selling their improvements and stock to John A. Sutter of Sutter's Fort. Property acquired by the State of California in 1906.