Near Lawrenceville in Brunswick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
—Brunswick County —
Inscription. In 1714, at Governor Alexander Spotswood’s urging, the Virginia General Assembly funded the Virginia Indian Company, charged with building a fort on the banks of the Meherrin River in what would become Brunswick County. The fort would provide local settlers both a trading base and safety from Indian attacks. The General Assembly also funded a nearby Indian village to offer shelter and protection to displaced Native Americans, mostly of Sapony tribes. Recognizing the need to educate the Indian children to prepare them to be future citizens, Governor Spotswood hired North Carolina’s Reverend Charles Griffin to be a teacher at the fort, paying Griffin 50 pounds annually from his own money. Griffin successfully taught as many as 77 Native-American children at one time. Courses included English, reading, writing and math, with students also required to “read the Bible and Common Prayers.” After the General Assembly withdrew its financial support of the fort, private investors kept it going for a while, though it was not manned after 1724. Finally, in 1730, the land itself was parceled out to its investors, and Fort Christanna was largely forgotten. In 1924 attention was once again bestowed on the site, when The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia acquired 10 acres of land where
By Bernard Fisher, June 21, 2009
1. Fort Christanna Marker
the fort once stood and erected a monument in its memory. Recent archaeological excavations have found the perimeter of the original fort, and efforts will continue in order to learn more about this early Brunswick county site.
June 21, 2009
2. Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail® Map.
1. Winonah Camp/Mozella Price Home
2. Carver-Price School
3. Education in 1800's Rural Virginia
4. One-Room Schoolhouse
5. Carter G. Woodson Birthplace
6. Hamilton High School
7. Rosenwald School at Cartersville
8. Jackson Davis
9. Russell Grove Presbyterian Church and School
10. Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil
11. Virginia State University
12. Earliest Known Public High School for African Americans in Virginia
13. McKenney Library
14. The Peabody-Williams School
15. Southside Virginia Training Center
16. Rocky Branch School
17. Early Education in Dinwiddie County
18. Blackstone Female Institute
19. Mt. Nebo Church
20. Ingleside Training Institute
21. The People's Community Center
22. St. Matthew's Lutheran Church Christian Day School
Prince Edward County
23. Prince Edward County Public Schools
24. R. R. Moton High School
25. Farmville Female Seminary Association
26. First Baptist Church
27. Beulah AME Church
28. Hampden-Sydney College
29. Southside Virginia Community College - John H. Daniel Campus
30. Charlotte County Library
31. Salem School
32. Meadville Community Center
33. Mary M. Bethune High School
34. Washington-Coleman Elementary School
35. Mizpah Church
36. Thyne Institute
37. Boydton Academic and Bible Institute
38. Southside Virginia Community College - Christanna Campus
39. Saint Paul's College
40. Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd
41. Fort Christanna
(Above) In 1924, a monument was erected on 10 acres of land where Fort Christanna once stood.
(Left) Ada McCrae, a descendant of Governor Alexander Spotswood, unveiled the monument at Fort Christanna in 1924 at a large ceremony that included Pamunkey Indians.
(Above Right) Archaeological research at Fort Christanna has unearthed such artifacts as these tools and points typical of 18th century Native American local tribes, and an English-style strap hinge of that era.
Erected by Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail®. (Marker Number 41.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail marker series.
Location. 36° 42.821′ N, 77° 52.227′ W. Marker is near Lawrenceville, Virginia, in Brunswick County. Marker is on Fort Hill Road 1.1 miles west of Christanna Highway (Virginia Route 46), on the right when traveling west. Click for map. This marker is located at the entrance to the Fort Christanna
Historic Site. Marker is in this post office area: Brodnax VA 23920, United States of America.
By Bernard Fisher, June 21, 2009
3. Fort Christanna Historic Site.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Governor Alexander Spotswood (within shouting distance of this marker); Native Americans and Fort Christanna (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Christanna: Established 1714 (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Fort Christanna (within shouting distance of this marker); The Colonial Dames of America Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Fort Christanna (approx. 2.2 miles away); Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd (approx. 2.3 miles away); Brunswick County Courthouse (approx. 3.4 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Lawrenceville.
Also see . . .
1. Virginia's Retreat. Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. (Submitted on June 23, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
2. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. (Submitted on June 23, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)
Categories. • Civil Rights • Forts, Castles • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers •
Credits. This page originally submitted on , by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 950 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on , by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.