Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, soldier, politician, road builder and land speculator. Born in the Colony of Virginia, Zane established a settlement near Fort Henry which became Wheeling, on the Ohio River. He also blazed an early road through the Ohio Country to Limestone known as Zane's Trace.

Fort Henry was a colonial fort which stood about ¼ mile from the Ohio River in what is now downtown, Wheeling, West Virginia. The fort was originally known as Fort Fincastle and was named for Viscount Fincastle, Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia. Later it was renamed for Patrick Henry, and was at the time located in Virginia. The fort was subject to two major sieges, two notable feats and other skirmishes.