In the more than 250 years since Mary Draper Ingles was captured by Shawnee warriors, escaped and made her historic return journey to the New River Valley of Virginia, much has been written and produced about the preeminent colonial heroine. Mary represents hundreds of women who survived capture and returned to their log cabin homes during the early settlement of the region west of the Alleghenies.Today a 22-foot obelisk stands in her honor in the center of West View Cemetery, about a mile and a half from where she lived out her life at the historic Ingleside homestead (Ingles Farm). The obelisk, constructed of the chimney stones from the original Ingles cabin, was erected in 1909 and is featured in the book, “A Guide to American Women’s Landmarks”.
