Fort Witten

Fort Witten. . , The original Fort Witten was constructed in 1774 by Thomas Witten as a defensive structure during hostilities with Native Americans. A small militia was stationed at the fort during Lord Dunmore’s War. The blockhouse style building contained two rooms, one upper and one lower, with the upper room being slightly larger than the base. During the 18th century, this type of fortification was frequently constructed in isolated areas where other means of defense did not exist. Loopholes, very narrow window slits, allowed defenders in the fort to fire upon anyone who attacked the building. There were several other such fortifications along the Clinch River, including Fort Maiden Spring, which was also located in what is now Tazewell County., In 1926, the Fort Maiden Spring chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) set about constructing a replica of Fort Witten on a hillside near the building's original site. The dedication of the new fort on July 4, 1927 garnered incredible interest and it is estimated that 25,000 people attended the event., During the following decades, the fort served a variety of uses. For a time it was home to a craft guild that sold quilts and various other craft goods. The walls were covered with the names, initials, and dates of visitors to the fort. It became a local landmark that everyone recognized, and almost everyone has a story about visiting the site. In 1993, the Fort Maiden Spring chapter of the D.A.R. donated the structure to the Historic Crab Orchard Museum, which is located next to the fort site., Fort Witten experienced wear and tear and eventually came to be in need of significant repairs. In 2015, the Fort Maiden Spring chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution once again stepped forward to help preserve this important piece of local history. Through their efforts, and with funds generously donated by the Ratcliffe Foundation, the fort was completely dismantled and reconstructed on its original 1927 site. Many of the original logs were able to be reused, with new logs added where needed. The newly reconstructed Fort Witten was dedicated on July 4, 2017, exactly 90 years after the original dedication., [Captions:] , Fort Witten, c 1927., Members of the Fort Maiden Spring Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution attend the dedication ceremony, July 4, 1927., Fields filled with cars as people arrived to attend the dedication of Fort Witten, July 4, 1927. Pisgah Church can be seen in theback left portion of the photograph.