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Fort Pleasant was located on the west bank of the South Branch River just south of the Trough. It was constructed at Col. Washington's orders by Capt. Thomas Waggener, and is one of the few forts built according to plans drawn by Washington. The fort was located on land owned by Henry Van Meter's near what is now Old Fields in present Hardy County. It was the "lower down the river" of the two forts Waggener constructed.
Near this fort occurred the Battle of the Trough. The battle is recalled in A History of the Valley of Virginia by Samuel Kercheval (Fourth Edition, Shenandoah Publishing House, Strasburg, VA, 1925) on page 75. As often is the case, these details differ somewhat from the writings of George Washington (see Papers of George Washington, ed. by Abbott, vol 3, p.46) This fort was used for some years as the courthouse for Hampshire County until a facility was built in Romney.
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