The Foundation was established in 2002 to focus public attention on the preservation and interpretation of the colonial Virginia frontier, with particular emphasis on the French and Indian War era (1754-1763).
It was during this time period and in this northern colonial Virginia frontier that George Washington developed his political and military leadership skills. Skills that prepared him for his role as commander- in-chief during the American Revolution less than thirteen years later and afterward as president of a new nation.
The Foundation is located in Winchester, Virginia, where young Colonel Washington, then commander of the Virginia Regiment, established his headquarters for defending the western frontier against allied forces of the French and the Ohio Valley Indians. Here he built Fort Loudoun to marshal and dispatch troops to outlying fortifications that stretched from the Potomac River on the north to the Carolinas on the south. In the region today are the locations of many sites that played a significant role in this conflict.
For more information regarding the Foundations plans and goals, please see the Strategic Plan.