Editing Fort Chiswell, Virginia (section)

==History==
The community name is derived from a frontier fort built in 1758 as an outpost during the [[French and Indian War]]. The fort, which was of strategic importance during the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]] as the guardpost over a small deposit of [[lead]] used to mold [[bullet]]s, was situated at the junction of the [[Great Indian Warpath|Great Trading Path]] and the Richmond Road, near the [[New River (Kanawha River)|New River]]. The fort fell into disrepair in the 18th century as both the county seat and courthouse were moved from Fort Chiswell to the county seat of [[Wytheville]], 12 miles to the west. The remaining foundations of the Fort and its surrounding buildings were completely covered over during the construction of [[I-77]] in [[Wythe County]] during the 1970s. There is a pyramid shaped historical marker of sandstone situated approximately 200 yards west-northwest of the fort's original location.

The [[Fort Chiswell Site]], [[The Mansion at Fort Chiswell]], and [[McGavock Family Cemetery]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>