Fort Boykin occupies a commanding site on the James River in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, where defenses were first built in 1623 after the Indian Attack of 1622 and fears of Spanish attack. Known first as The Castle or Roger Smith’s Fort, it remained strategically important through Bacon’s Rebellion, the American Revolution, and likely the War of 1812. Its most visible remains come from the Civil War, when Confederates expanded it to help defend Richmond until Union ships shelled it on 8 May 1862, forcing its abandonment. Later overgrown, the site became a public park and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its archaeological importance.