Finding Fort Tonoloway
Fort Tonolway was built in 1755 by Lieutenant Thomas Stoddert and men of the Maryland militia. The fort’s erection was a direct result of British General Edward Braddock’s campaign and his defeat in July of 1755. Garrisoned for only a year, the fort was abandoned in 1756 when nearby Fort Frederick was established. In the ensuing 263 years, the precise location of the fort has been lost. Preservation Maryland will join with the Maryland Park Service and the American Battlefield Protection Program to embark on an archaeological project to find the location of Fort Tonoloway.
THE PROBLEM
Fort Tonolway was built in 1755 by Lieutenant Thomas Stoddert and men of the Maryland militia. The fort’s erection was a direct result of British General Edward Braddock’s campaign and his defeat in July of 1755. Garrisoned for only a year, the fort was abandoned in 1756 when nearby Fort Frederick was established. In the ensuing 263 years, the precise location of the fort has been lost.
THE FIX
Preservation Maryland will join with the Maryland Park Service and the American Battlefield Protection Program to embark on an archaeological project to find the location of Fort Tonoloway.
Example of what Fort Tolonoway may have looked like.
Updates
OCTOBER 2020
After months of exhaustive research, Preservation Maryland and its consultant, Rivanna Archaeological Services, completed the effort to trace the history, context, and potential location of the long-missing French and Indian War-era Fort Tonoloway on Maryland’s Western Frontier.
FEBRUARY 2020
As part of the organization’s Six-to-Fix preservation priority program, Preservation Maryland is an effort to locate the historic location of the lost Fort Tonoloway. Preservation Maryland’s efforts are in conjunction with the Maryland Park Service and made possible by a grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program.
FEBRUARY 2019
Preservation Maryland is seeking proposals from qualified consulting firms to inventory the historic resources and cultural landscape of Fort Tonoloway, located within Maryland’s Fort Tonoloway State Park; conduct military terrain analysis (KOCOA); and develop an archeological research design to inform future research and preservation planning.
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Preservation Maryland isn’t just preserving the past – we’re investing in our future. In just the past year we’ve invested heavily in our work and refused to accept the mounting challenges as a reason to retreat or hold our position. You are making it all possible.