Colonial Fort

Nearby at John Mathews's land on Hunting Creek, Governor William Berkeley constructed a fort authorized by the Virginia House of Burgesses on 21 Sept. 1674. Militiamen from Lancaster, Middlesex, and Northumberland Counties garrisoned the fort under command of Capt. Peter Knight. The fort defended the northern frontier of the colony against the Susquehannocks and other Indian groups. Berkeley planned for it and other forts to serve as buffers and thereby enable the English and Indians to coexist peacefully. Some colonists, especially those led by Nathaniel Bacon, favored a more aggressive approach. As a result, Bacon's Rebellion erupted in 1675-1676.