A Peek into Summers County’s Past: Baughman Fort

I only have limited information about this piece but it is too historically significant to the area not to mention. My Grandfather, David Jones, or Gene as his friends often called him, found this super fine Indian axe made from carved stone near the Alderson Federal Prison Camp when he went to work there in the early 1960s.

It wasn't until recent years, when I became the secretary/treasurer of the Summers County Historic Landmarks Commission, met and started talking to the people involved with it that I learned that this piece was from one of the early forts in the area.

It turns out that Baughman Fort, dating back to the 1750s was on the same property where the federal prison now sits. According to Kim Mcbride with Greenbrier Valley Archaeology, Inc. in Lewisburg, Baughman’s Fort was on prison property, but sadly no remains of where the fort sat exactly were ever uncovered.

After further discussing this matter with Steve Trail; who is also on the landmarks commission with me and we determined that it must have been situated on prison property that is now in Summers County. He is also a very valuable Summers County historian.

You see, the prison is in two counties; Monroe and Summers County. To further substantiate this theory since Judge Miller talks about Baughmans Fort in his 1908 book, “History of Summers County from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time,” it must have been located on a tract in Summers County.

All we know today is the fort was very near the James Hill House, which was a 19th-century home. But no one knows for sure where it sat either. In Miller's history, he incorporates a letter from David Graham from November 13, 1905.

It explains, “there was a fort on the first farm below Alderson on the Greenbrier River. I have heard my father say it was captured by the Indians, likely about 1763, or earlier. The people of the fort were all killed or captured, except one small girl who escaped, but so young she couldn’t tell who her people were.”

He further talks about recalling having personally been to this site when he was a child at Hill's house. And being shown the bounds of the fort as they were still visible at the time. The fort was the first settlement of land in the vicinity of what is now the town of Alderson.

The history of this fort is a bit conflicting and confusing at times. Graham said the raid was on or around 1763. However, the History of Alderson, West Virginia from the Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society written by Kenneth D. Swope said the raid occurred on August 12, 1755.

Grandpa Jones was also a farmer who made friends with other farmers in the valley. He was helping a friend of his on their farm that adjoined prison property when he uncovered this axe head. His friend didn’t want it so Grandpa kept it.

He then gave it to my father when he was a child and dad has always treasured it. Due to his father having given it to him and the strong connection to local history. There is not a great deal that has been written about Baughmans Fort. So doing research for this piece was a bit of a challenge.

According to Steve Trail, there is a great deal of military records that relate to the fort. I had probably heard of it at some point but after reading about the raid of 1763 and the Indians taking over the fort. I am inclined to believe that this axe head had some connection with this event.

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