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Fort Colvin, or Colvill's Fort SOLD
Frederick County, Virginia
ca. 1750s
Fort Colvin, a two acre property, located in Frederick County which includes a c. 1750s farm house, was purchased by Preservation Virginia's Revolving Fund Program in 2004 to save it from neglect. The property was placed under protective easement with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources prior to its sale on November 6th, 2007 to the French and Indian War Foundation; a non-profit organization based in the City of Winchester and Frederick County. The property is a rare surviving example of vernacular architecture and is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Patrick Farris, president of the French and Indian War Foundation recalls his first visit to Fort Colvin before Preservation Virginia acquired the site. He said he remembers "marveling at how this structure had survived, so intact, for a quarter of a millennium, and thinking at the time about what a marvelous living history site the property could become." The French and Indian War Foundation plans to use the site to interpret and promote the significance of colonial history in the Shenandoah Valley. Farris says, "Now that the French & Indian War Foundation has acquired Colvill's Fort I am even more filled with a sense of that promise that the site holds, and have already initiated the formation of an advisory committee to speed along the creation and adoption of an interpretive plan." Louis Malon, Director of Preservation Services for Preservation Virginia stated that "we are please that through the persistent efforts of the Historic Properties Revolving Fund Program Preservation Virginia was able to secure the property and protect it in perpetuity with preservation easements." Malon continues that "Fort Colvin can now once again be the significant landmark within the community as it returns to use. The fact that it was purchased by a non-profit group shows that there are many possible solutions to the threats historic properties face." Farris says that "Colvill's Fort is a rare physical reminder of the colonial settlement of Virginia's Great Valley, and I feel fortunate, honored and humbled to be part of the effort to preserve and interpret this precious site." The survival of Fort Colvin's extremely rare and unique architectural features is extraordinary considering the house's years of vacancy.
Contact:
Sarah Cooleen Revolving Fund Program Manager
scooleen@preservationvirginia.org
804-648-1889 ext. 320
Fax: 804-775-0802
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