Chapter Xxxi
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Digital Scan by Fay-Wesy.com. All Rights Reserved. CHAPTER XXXI. Those who are familiar with the history of our country are aware that Washington was awarded vast tracts of land west of the Allegheny mountains for his military services during the French and Indian war. Much of this land was located on the Ohio river between the Great Kanawha and the Monongahela, of which some three thousand acres were located on Miller's run in Washington county, and to which were added some two thousand acres in Fayette county by purchase, and which he still owned at the time of his death. In 1770, before the Revolutionary war, Washington, in company with other interested parties, visited these lands, corn- ing out over the old Braddock road, over which he had marched with his little army in 175-1, and again to Braddock's defeat in 1755, and returned by the same route. In the fall of 1784 he concluded to again visit these lands with the purpose of disposing of some of them and also at the same time to locate if possible, a highway between the head- waters of the Potomac and those of the Ohio, to accommodate the great tide of emigration and traffic that was already forcing its way over the mountains. He again traversed the old Brad- dock road and arrived at Gilbert Simpson's, in the vicinity of the present village of Perryopolis, on September 13. Here he visited his mill that had been constructed under the superin- tendency of Gilbert Simpson and set in operation in the spring of 1776, and is still standing as a monument to the enterprise and forethought of Washington. Here he met many of the Document is not to be posted on any other Web site but Fay-West.com Digital Scan by Fay-Wesy.com. All Rights Reserved. '744 History of Uniontowrz, Pcr~~lsylva~zia. inhabitants with whom he had business relations and others who had gathered to show their respect for the distinguished visitor. From here he proceeded to Washington county where he found his land occupied by settlers who claimed their tenure by squatters' rights, and whom he threatened with writs of ejectment unless satisfactory terms could be arranged. He had at first intende'd to visit his lands further down the Ohio, but upon learning of the hostile attitude of the Indians at that time, he concluded to return by the way he had come. He returned as far as Gilbert Simpson's, and here concluded to place his baggage under the care of Dr. Craik, who with his son had been Washington's traveling companion, and who had been his bosom friend and physician for so many years; the doctor and his son returning by the new or Turkey Foot road. a route some twenty miles nearer than the Braddock road, while Washington .in company with his nephew, Bushrod Washington, set out for Uniontown then known as Beesontown. Here he was to meet Mr. Thomas Smith, an eminent attorney of Carlisle, who was attending the courts of Fayette county then in session at Uniontown and whom Washington engaged to bring suits of ejectment in the courts of Washington county against some sixteen persons who had made improvements upon his lands. Washington arrived in Uniontown " about dusk" on the 22nd of September and " put up " at a house of public enter- tainment, which was a double log house which stood on the south side of West Main street on the lot now occupied by the Fayette Title & Trust building, and formerly owned by Philip Dilts. The tavern at this time may have been kept by one John Huston, as he was an inn keeper in the early history of the town, and it is said, was at this time connected with this lot. Here Washington met Captain Benjamin Hardin, a promi- nent and intelligent resident of Springhill township, and Colonel Theophilus Phillips from the same locality, a gentleman of equal prominence, upon whose farm the courts of blonongalia county, Virginia, were held before the courts of Fayette county were established. While lodging at this old tavern, Washington had the op- portunity of conversing with several intelligent gentlemen con- Document is not to be posted on any other Web site but Fay-West.com Digital Scan by Fay-Wesy.com. All Rights Reserved. History of Unioziolttown, Pc~znsylvania. 745 cerning the feasibility of connecting the headwaters of the Po- tonlac with those of the Ohio. Although Washington's arrival in the town was unan- nounced, the ubiquitous boys of the village discovered it and soon gathered en masse. They procured thirteen tallow candles which they lighted and marched and countermarched past the old tavern, waving their torches and cheering for the great gen- eral whom they wished to honor. Having finished his business here, Washington prepared to leave the town about noon the day after his arrival. The Court extended to him an apology through Mr. Smith for not having addressed him as his presence had not been announced in time for the Court to have taken some formal action suitable to the occasion. His horses being in readiness, Washington walked quietly from the tavern, and with uncovered head he saluted the throng that had gathered to show their respects, and rode off in com- pany with Colonel Phillips, Captain Hardin and his nephew, Bushrod Washington, and arrived at the home of Colonel Phil- lips about bo'clock in the afternoon where he lodged over night. The following morning Colonel Phillips accompanied Wash- ington over Cheat river to the house of Captain Samuel Hanway who sent for Colonel Zach Morgan, of Morgantown, and others who might express their views as to the easiest way of estab- lishing communication between the Potomac and the Ohio. Here Washington met for the first time young Albert Gallatin, or at least it was on just such an occasion when Wash- ington was examining his maps and discussing the same sub- ject when the youthful Gallatin traced his finger over the map and remarked, " This is the most feasible route." Washington raised his eyes from the map and gave Gallatin a most wither- ing look of rebuke which Gallatin never forgot to his dying day; but after much discussion and calculation, Washington came to the same conclusion, and turning to Gallatin, said, " You are right, young man." From Captain Hanway's Washington proceeded over the mountains by what was then known as the New Road to the headwaters of the Youghiogheny and Cheat rivers. Here was a favorite hunting ground for large game and hither hunters were wont to resort in the hunting season. William McClel- land, one of the early settlers on York's run, and who had re- Document is not to be posted on any other Web site but Fay-West.com Digital Scan by Fay-Wesy.com. All Rights Reserved. 346 History of Utzio~ltow~z,Pemsylvania. moved to where Frederickstown in Washington county is now located, with a party of friends, was at this time on a hunting expedition and had taken up their abode in a deserted cabin from which its occupants had been frightened by the-incursions of the Indians. In this old cabin was a weaver's loom which had been left by the former occupant of the cabin. As night ap- proached Mr. McClelland and his companions returned to this cabin for shelter, and to their surprise and delight, Washington and his companions in travel drew up to the same cabin for shelter for the night as a rain was threatening. The hunters hastily made every provision for the comfortable entertainment of their distinguished guest the circumstances would allow. On the seat of the weaver's loom was spread a blanket and with his saddle for a pillow, the general retired to rest, but the rest of the company, nearly a dozen in number, were seated on im- provised seats or standing in the corner. In the night the rain fell in torrents and the roof being open in places allowed the water to pour upon the head and breast of Washington until he was compelled to leave his place on the loom seat and stand or be seated with the other inmates of the cabin. Washington in his journal mentions the extreme inclemency of the weather at this part of his journey. In 1524, Mr. Freeman Lewis, a noted surveyor of Union- town, was engaged in assisting the engineers in reconnoitering for a route for the Chesapeake and Ohio canal in the vicinity of the above mentioned old cabin. Here he found a great col- lection of deer horns that had been piled up against the cabin by hunters, and entered the building, recalling the scenes that had transpired there and the uncomfortable night spent by Washington and his companions on that rainy night. This old cabin was at one time the property and perhaps the home of Charles Friend, one of the ancestors of the numerous and popu- lar Friend family of Maryland, and stood near the present route of the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. One of the very illustrious characters that have visited Uniontown was the Marquis de la Fayette, who by an act which was unanimously passed by both Houses of Congress in February, 1824, and approved by President Monroe, was most cordially invited to become the guest of the nation that the Document is not to be posted on any other Web site but Fay-West.com Digital Scan by Fay-Wesy.com.