the first such features in the region and Fort Pleasant mansion acquired a reputation as one of the "great houses" of the South Branch Valley. 19th century A portion of the old fort apparently survived Garrett Van Meter's renovations and the construction of the great house by his son. When Samuel Kercheval (1767-1845), the local historian, visited the site in 1830, he remarked that "one of the block-houses, with portholes was still standing, and the logs particularly sound". Thus, the last vestiges of the old fort did not vanish until later in the 19th century. Other Van Meter settlements Fort Pleasant is one of five significant VanMeter family dwellings in the Old Fields area; the others are Traveler's Rest, Fort Van Meter, the Garrett VanMeter House, and Buena Vista Farms. See also List of historic sites in Hampshire County, West Virginia National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, West Virginia References External links Fort Pleasant: Soldiers and Civilians in the South Branch Valley, 1756-1762 Images of James Witt's 1770 map of Fort Pleasant at the West Virginia Encyclopedia and at Vanmeter.com. "Fort Pleasant" history at Vanmeter.com (includes photo of the "Great House" and maps). Dutch-American culture in West Virginia Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Federal architecture in West Virginia Houses in Hardy County, West Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Hardy County, West Virginia