Prickett's Fort State Park - A Trip To The Past

Located in Marion County, West Virginia, Prickett's Fort State Park is a re-creation of the original Prickett's Fort of 1774, which served as a refuge from Native American war parties. Built in 1976 by the Prickett's Fort Memorial Foundation, the 22-acre park serves as a living history museum, where participants recreate scenes of 18th century frontier life, complete with period attire and demonstrations of various colonial crafts, such as weaving, spinning and blacksmithing. The park also features a gun shop which offers the only public demonstrations of 18th century firearm manufacturing in the state.

Covering a 100 ft x 100 ft square, the fort is surrounded by 12-foot-high log walls and blockhouses at each corner. Within the fort's walls are 16 tiny cabins, some with earthen floors, along with a meeting house and a storehouse. The original Job Prickett house, built in 1859, sits right outside the stockade walls of the fort. Another house, the Jacob Prickett Jr. log house, built in 1781, was detroyed by an arsonist on March 7, 2005.