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Céleron plate
This lead plaque was placed at the junction of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers in 1749 by Captain Pierre Joseph Céleron de
Blainville. Five other plates were laid along other tributaries of the Ohio River to assert France's claims to all the
lands watered by those rivers. Under its 1609 charter, Virginia claimed those lands, too. News of the lead plates
reached Williamsburg and young George Washington was sent west to expel the French. This is the only plaque
that survives intact.
Image rights owned by the Virginia Historical Society. Do not use without permission.
Rights and reproductions
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