The Fort  The Fort covers a 110 by 110 foot square, with 12-foot-high log walls and blockhouses at each corner. Lining the weathered stockade walls are 14 tiny cabins, some with earthen floors. A meetinghouse and a storehouse fill the common. When the threat of Native American uprisings occurred, up to 80 families from the surrounding countryside would hurry to the Fort. They would stay as long as the threat existed, from days to weeks. "Forting up" was simply tolerated by settlers. Life in the cramped quarters could be unpleasant, but such sacrifices were necessary for survival on the dangerous frontier of the late 1700s. Today's Fort still speaks eloquently of that life and time.
	The Job Prickett House  Just south of the Fort stands the Job Prickett House, built in 1859 by the great-grandson of Capt. Jacob Prickett, for whom the Fort was named. The difference between the 18th century historical reconstruction and the original 19th century house illustrates the development of an increasingly civilized lifestyle and the availability of mass-produced furnishings through an 85-year span of time. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains antiques originally used there by the Prickett family.
Pricketts Fort as a Museum  Pricketts Fort is a museum in the sense that it is a collection of materials (including the buildings themselves) from the past that are preserved, documented, exhibited, and interpreted for the public. It is what is called a living history museum. It utilizes historical interpreters who tell the visitor about the lives of individuals of the two time periods (18th and 19th century) represented at the park. They also represent two cultures that coexisted in the region: the Native Americans and the western Virginian settlers. Interpreters use objects from the time period to help them to tell their story. In this case, the interpreters speak to the visitor as modern people. They are not “pretending” to be from the past, so students can feel free to ask questions and interact with them. Interpreters often are artisans who show visitors how a particular craft was done in the past. At the Fort you might see a blacksmith or a weaver making cloth.
	The creation of the fort as a museum tells an interesting story of grassroots community effort. The Prickett descendents saw the value of their family history. They got other people interested in saving the site and creating the park. The land was donated by the family and then money was raised. The Fort was reconstructed over a period of two years and was completed in 1976. Lots of people were involved in this process. Archaeologists and historians researched the original fort that existed on the site as well as other forts in the area. They used documents, oral history, physical evidence, and scientific techniques such as infrared photography for information. Many specialists were involved in the building process such as carpenters and blacksmiths. Volunteers were involved in collecting authentic materials such as logs that were donated from places across the state. Once the 18th century Fort was reconstructed, the 19th century Job Prickett House was restored. The local group of interested community members became the Friends of Pricketts Fort and Pricketts Fort State Park was created. The State Park takes care of the maintenance of the park itself. The “friends” are now the Pricketts Fort Memorial Foundation that is responsible for all of the programming and ongoing preservation.