Dedication of Wayne- Monument 239

Dedication of the Wayne-Logstown Monument at Legionville, Pa. The monument, erected by the Historical Commission to mark the site of the ancient Indian village of Logstown and the army cantonment where during the win- ter of 1792-3 Gen. drilled his famous "Le- gion," was dedicated on Saturday afternoon, June 22nd, 1918. The ceremony took place in the meadow beside the memorial on the Lincoln Highway several hundred yards north of Legionville Station on the Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad. The sky was overcast throughout the day and a chilly rain driven by a raw wind swept across the plateau where about 100 devoted patriots gathered at the roadside to honor the memory of American pioneers whose deeds had made this ground historic. But the rain did not interrupt the proceedings nor dampen the ardor of the spec- tators, and despite the inclement weather the program was carried out as originally planned. The monument has been placed on the northeast corner of the ground occupied by Wayne's army cantonment. It is of rough-hewn granite about eight feet high and contains two keystone-shaped bronze tablets-one bearing an in- scription telling of the location of Wayne's camp and the other sets forth briefly the story of the Indian settlement at Logstown. The site of the ancient village where Conrad Weiser, and other early travelers in this region held their conferences with the red men was sev- eral hundred yards south of the location of the monument. The Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania acted as host at the dedicatory ceremony. In the absence of William C. Sproul, Chairman of the Historical Commission, William H. Stevenson, treasurer of the Commission and President of the Historical Society, presided. Dr. Henry W. Temple, of Washington, Pa., representative in Congress from the Twenty-fourth Pennsylvania district, delivered the his- torical address. The dedication was in charge of a commit- 240 Dedication of Wayne-Logstown Monument tee of the Historical Society, of which 0. S. Decker was chairman. Mrs. William H. Stevenson unveiled the tablets, this being the only formal ceremony during the exercises. This feature of the program drew a round of applause and a cheer when Mrs. Stevenson unwound the cloth that had con- cealed the artistic plates of bronze imbedded in the rugged shaft. Addresses were delivered by Dr. George P. Donehoo, an eminent authority on Indian history; Hon. A. E. Sisson of the Historical Commission; Dr. 'l'homas L. Montgomery, Pennsylvania State Librarian, and Rev. Dr. J. H. Bausman, author of the "History of Beaver County." An autograph letter written by General Wayne was read by Mr. Stevenson. A movement has been started to have the ground em- bracing the Legionville cantonment and the site of Logs- town preserved as a public park. To consummate this plan would require the state to purchase about 30 acres of land between the Lincoln Highway and the . The inscriptions in the bronze tablets in the monument are as follows: I. "On the plateau southwest of this spot was situated the camp of General Anthony Wayne. This army, known as the Legion of the United States, encamped at this place when on the expedition against the Indians west of the Ohio, from November, 1792, until April, 1793. The expedition resulted in the , which was signed in the summer of 1795. Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission and the Historical Society of Wes tern Pennsylvania. 1918." II. "A short distance southeast of this spot, along the banks of the river, was situated the village of LOGSTOWN, one of the largest Indian settlements on the upper Ohio. It was the scene of many important conferences between the French, the British and the Indians during the period from 17 48 to 1758. The first offi- cial council between the British and the Indians west of the mountains was held at this place by Conrad Weiser, on behalf of the province of Pennsylvania, in 1748. George Washington met the Indian chiefs at this place in 1753, when on his mission to the French forts. After the capture of Ft. Duquesne by the British in 1758 the site was de- serted by the Indians who had moved westward to the Beaver and Muskingum rivers. Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. 1918.''