List of forts in Washington County, Pennsylvania

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This article is a list of forts in Washington County, Pennsylvania . During the colonial era and the American Revolution, Washington County, Pennsylvania was on the American Frontier. The forts provided protection for settlers from attacks by Indians who already lived in the area.

Contents

Doddridge's Fort

Doddridge's Fort
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Pa. 844 west of Pa. 231 at Sugar Run Road, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of West Middletown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°14′55″N80°28′20″W / 40.24851°N 80.47213°W / 40.24851; -80.47213
Built/foundedcirca 1773
PHMC dedicatedMay 28, 1947 [1]

Doddridge's Fort was a series of stockaded log cabins in Washington County, Pennsylvania. [1] It was built c. 1773 by John Doddridge as a refuge for settlers in area, which was then the American frontier. [1] The fort was located in present-day Independence Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. [2] The attack on Doddridge's Fort was recorded in historian's Samuel Kercheval 1883 history A History of the Valley of Virginia. [3]

The fort was a frequent stop for Methodist circuit riders, including Francis Asbury. It was also the childhood home of priest-physician Joseph Doddridge, author of the widely cited Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and his brother Philip Doddridge, a leading advocate for democratization on behalf of western Virginians. [1] [4] [5]

On May 28, 1947, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission erected a historical marker at Pa. 844 west of Pa. 231 at Sugar Run Road, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of West Middletown, Pennsylvania, noting the importance of Doddridge's Fort to the history of the commonwealth. [1] The actual location of the fort was north of the marker. [1]

In 2003, plans were developed for the Washington County Historical Society to create a replica of Doddridge's Fort at Cross Creek County Park. [6] The facility was to have been known as The Washington County Frontier Experience Center. [6]

Lindley's Fort

Lindley's Fort was a blockhouse established by frontier settler Demas Lindley near Ten Mile Creek in what is now the village of Prosperity in Morris Township, Washington County.

County historian Alfred Creigh described it as "one of the strongest forts in the western country, because it most exposed to the hostile incursions of the savage inhabitants." [7] Frontier settlers erected additional cabins near the fort as temporary homes during times of increased danger in order to easily retreat with the fort's walls. [8]

In 2011, Lindley's Fort became the subject of dispute. Archaeologists and local historians expressed concern that natural gas extraction operator Range Resources planned to construct a drilling pad access road through the historic site. [9] [10]

Miller's Blockhouse

Miller's Blockhouse
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location U.S. 40, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Claysville
Coordinates 40°06′34″N80°29′42″W / 40.10934°N 80.49506°W / 40.10934; -80.49506
Built/foundedcirca 1780
PHMC dedicatedMay 28, 1947 [11]

Miller's Blockhouse was a blockhouse built in about 1780 by Jacob Miller, Sr., a pioneer in American Frontier in present-day Washington County, Pennsylvania. [11] The fort served to protect settlers in the Dutch Fork area from Indian attacks. [11] On March 31, 1782, the fort was attacked, and Ann Hupp led a heroic defense. [11]

On Wednesday, May 28, 1947, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission erected a historical marker on U.S. 40, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Claysville, noting the importance of Miller's Blockhouse to the history of Pennsylvania. [11] The actual site of the blockhouse is 3 miles (4.8 km) north. [11]

Rice's Fort

Rice's Fort
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location U.S. 40 at Lake Road, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Claysville
Coordinates 40°07′16″N80°28′28″W / 40.12103°N 80.47432°W / 40.12103; -80.47432
PHMC dedicated1973 [12]

Rice's Fort was a fortified blockhouse in present-day Washington County, Pennsylvania. [12] During the American Revolution, it was built by Abraham Rice along Buffalo Creek. [12] In September 1782, the occupants successfully held off a siege by Indians. [12] The attack on Rice's Fort was recorded in historian's Samuel Kercheval 1883 history A History of the Valley of Virginia. [13]

In 1973, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission erected a historical marker at U.S. 40 at Lake Road, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Claysville, noting the importance of Rice's Fort to the history of Pennsylvania. [12]

Wolff's Fort

Wolff's Fort
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location U.S. 40, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) southwest of Washington
Coordinates 40°09′02″N80°19′24″W / 40.15056°N 80.32347°W / 40.15056; -80.32347
Built/foundedcirca 1780
PHMC dedicatedMay 28, 1947 [14]

Wolff's Fort was a stockaded log house built in about 1780 by Jacob Wolfe. [14] The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission describes it as "one of the most important forts in the area." [14]

On May 28, 1947, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission erected a historical marker at U.S. 40, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) southwest of Washington, noting the importance of Wolff's Fort to the history of Pennsylvania. [14]

Related Research Articles

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's heritage. The commission cares for historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historical interest; museums; archeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and the promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District of West Augusta</span>

The District of West Augusta was a short-lived (1774–76) historical region of Colonial Virginia that encompassed much of what is now northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Ligonier</span> United States historic place

Fort Ligonier is a British fortification from the French and Indian War located in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States. The fort served as a staging area for the Forbes Expedition of 1758. During the eight years of its existence as a garrison, Fort Ligonier was never taken by an enemy. It served as a post of passage to the new Fort Pitt, and during Pontiac's War of 1763, was a vital link in the British communication and supply lines. It was attacked twice and besieged by the Native Americans, prior to the decisive victory at Bushy Run in August of that year. The fort was decommissioned from active service in 1766. Today, there is a museum next to the reconstructed fort. Inside the museum there are artifacts from the battle. An individual can take a guided tour of the fort, and on Fort Ligonier Days, the fort's cannons are fired.

Fort Augusta was a stronghold in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the upper Susquehanna Valley from the time of the French and Indian War to the close of the American Revolution. At the time, it was the largest British fort in Pennsylvania, with earthen walls more than two hundred feet long topped by wooden fortifications. With a garrison of over 300 troops and walls specially constructed to resist artillery, it presented a formidable defense and was never attacked. It served as a refuge for local settlers during the French and Indian War and during the American Revolutionary War. It was abandoned in 1780 and dismantled in 1796.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Doddridge (Virginia politician)</span> American politician

Philip Doddridge was a Virginia lawyer and sectional leader of western Virginia. He served in the United States House of Representatives representing the Wheeling District in the Upper Ohio River Valley, as well as in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Allen (Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania)</span>

Fort Allen was a military structure which was built in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County in the Province of Pennsylvania by Colonel Christopher Truby of Pennsylvania's colonial militia. Erected in 1774 in response to a threatened attack by Indians upon German pioneers who had settled in the area, it became a frontier fort of Dunmore's War in 1774, and also was used as a fort during the American Revolution in which Truby also served as an officer with the Continental Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Deshler</span>

Fort Deshler, located near Egypt, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA, was a French and Indian War era frontier fort established in 1760 to protect settlers from Indian attacks. The fort was near the location of what is now the intersection of Pennsylvania Route 145 and Chestnut Street, between Egypt and Coplay.

Manada Gap is an unincorporated community in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, located in the Harrisburg-Carlisle area, near Fort Indiantown Gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McMillan (missionary)</span>

John McMillan was a prominent Presbyterian minister and missionary in Western Pennsylvania when that area was part of the American Frontier. He founded the first school west of the Allegheny Mountains, which is now known as John McMillan's Log School. He is one of the founders of Washington & Jefferson College.

Anne Rowe Hupp was an American frontierswoman of the Buffalo Creek Valley in Washington County, Pennsylvania. She led the defense of a small, isolated fort, Miller's Blockhouse, against a Shawnee Indian Attack, for more than twenty-four hours in 1782 while she was eight months pregnant.

The Battle of Sideling Hill was an engagement in April 1756, between Pennsylvania Colonial Militia and a band of Lenape warriors who had attacked Fort McCord and taken a number of colonial settlers captive. The warriors were taking their captives back to their base at Kittanning when they were ambushed by the militia, but with the help of reinforcements, the Lenape fought off the militia and escaped. The battle is significant because it was the first engagement involving Pennsylvania Militia after Braddock's defeat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Gaddis</span> United States historic place

Fort Gaddis is the oldest known building in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and the second oldest log cabin in Western Pennsylvania. It is located 300 yards (270 m) east of old U.S. Route 119, near the Route 857 intersection in South Union Township, Pennsylvania. Fort Gaddis was built about 1769-74 by Colonel Thomas Gaddis who was in charge of the defense of the region, and his home was probably designated as a site for community meetings and shelter in times of emergency, hence the term "Fort Gaddis," probably a 19th-century appellation. It is a 1 1/2-story, 1-room log structure measuring 26 feet long and 20 feet wide.

Fort Hyndshaw was a fort in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, built in 1755 and 1756 during the French and Indian War.

David Reed was an American pioneer in the early history of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globe Inn</span>

Globe Inn was a famous inn and tavern in Washington, Pennsylvania. It was opened in 1798 by David Morris. With the completion of the nearby National Road westward to Wheeling, West Virginia, the Globe Inn was well-positioned to serve the new traffic. During that time, the Globe Inn hosted 5 Presidents of the United States: James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, James K. Polk, and Zachary Taylor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington oil field</span>

The Washington oil field is an oil field and in Washington County, Pennsylvania. It also produced natural gas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Creek (Ohio River tributary)</span> Tributary of the Ohio River

Buffalo Creek is a stream which runs through the United States commonwealths of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It rises in East Finley Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Swatara</span> French and Indian War fort in Pennsylvania, U.S.

Fort Swatara was a stockaded blockhouse built during the French and Indian War in what is now Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Initially a farmstead surrounded by a stockade, provincial troops occupied it in January 1756. The fort safeguarded local farms, but a number of settlers were killed by small Native American war parties. The fort was abandoned in May 1758.

Fort Robinson was a stockaded blockhouse fort built in 1755 in the colonial Province of Pennsylvania for the security of settlers moving into the area following the Albany Congress. The fort was constructed in "Shearman's Valley," now known as Shermans Dale, Pennsylvania, near present-day Northeast Madison Township, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Doddridge's Fort - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original (Database search) on 2013-12-07.
  2. "History - Independence Township Pennsylvania". Independence Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania . Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  3. Kercheval, Samuel; Charles James Faulkner; John Jeremiah Jacob (1833). "Chapter X - Expected Attack on Doddridge's Fort". A History of the Valley of Virginia. Winchester, Virginia: Samuel H. Davis. pp. 307–309.
  4. Richards, Samuel J. (2018). "The East-West Divide and Frontier Efforts of the Reverend Dr. Joseph Doddridge". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 85 (4): 460–487. doi:10.5325/pennhistory.85.4.0460. ISSN   0031-4528. JSTOR   10.5325/pennhistory.85.4.0460. S2CID   149943936.
  5. Richards, Samuel J. (2019). "Reclaiming Congressman Philip Doddridge from Tidewater Cultural Imperialism". West Virginia History: A Journal of Regional Studies. 13 (2): 1–26. doi:10.1353/wvh.2019.0019. ISSN   1940-5057. S2CID   211648744.
  6. 1 2 Newhouse, Maggi (March 9, 2003). "Group hopes to build replica of Doddridge's Fort". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review .
  7. Creigh, Alfred (1870). History of Washington County : from its first settlement to the present time. p. 55.
  8. Veech, Hon. James (1858). Monongahela of Old: Historical Sketches of South-Western Pennsylvania to the Year 1800. p. 21.
  9. Campbell, Christie (October 9, 2011). "As drilling expands, area archaeologists worry that historical sites will be undone". Observer-Reporter.
  10. Henshaw, Marc (October 18, 2011). "Gas Well Drilling is threatening Revolutionary War Period Fort!".
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Miller's Blockhouse - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original (Database search) on 2013-12-07.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rice's Fort - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original (Database search) on 2013-12-07.
  13. Kercheval, Samuel; Charles James Faulkner; John Jeremiah Jacob (1833). "Chapter IX - Attack on Rice's Fort". A History of the Valley of Virginia. Winchester, Virginia: Samuel H. Davis. pp. 302–307.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Wolff's Fort - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original (Database search) on 2013-12-07.