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LORD DUNMORE'S WAR 311 magazines and storehouse-had been kept up for the accommodation of the property belonging to the Prov- ince, down to at least 1772 or 1773. These structures from the nature of the material used in their construe- tion-logs and earth embankments-and exposed as they were to the inclemency of the weather, could not last long without constant reparation. While the ma- terial of Fort Ligonier was of this perishable character, yet the earth-works, the bastions, the storehouse and the magazine were originally intended, as we have said, to be more permanent than was usual in the ordinary forts of that period." St. Clair, in his memorial to the Pennsylvania As- sembly in his declining years, says that the forts for which he supplied, at his own expense, arms and means of defense during Lord Dunmore's War, were: "Tay- lor's, Wallace's, Ligonier's, Lochry's, Hannastown, Perry's, Walthour's, Carnahan's, and a number of others not now recollected." Some of the WXestmoreland forts, erected in the try- ing times of which we are writing, not only became lost in St. Clair's recollection, but in the long years since, they have become lost to history. But those that in addition to Fort Ligonier deserve a permanent place in this period in the history of "Old Westmoreland" are the following: 1. The Hannastown Fort (Fort Reed), erected as early as 1773, and strengthened by St. Clair in 1774. It was a stockade fort of logs set-upright. In the center was a spring whose waters still gush forth to quench the thirst of the lover of Pennsylvania history who makes a pilgrimage to the spot where stood the frontier village that was the first seat of Anglo-Saxon justice in West-' ern Pennsylvania, and that sank in flames on July 13, 1782, when the British and Indians invaded historic "Old Westmoreland." 312 HISTORY OF FORT LIGONIER 2. Wallace's Fort, erected in the spring of 1774. located on the plantation of Richard Wallace, on Ma- gee's Run, about a mile south of the Conemaugh and one and one half miles from Blairsville. It was a stock- ade enclosing half an acre or more, and within the stockade were a spring and small flour mill. It was here that the murderers of the friendly Delaware, Joseph Wipey, hid for some time after putting this stain on the annals of the west. As one drives from Blairs- ville to Derry, he passes the site of this frontier fort around which cling many memories of the Revolution. 3. Lochry's Fort, located on the plantation -of Colonel Archibald Lochry, near St. Vincent's College, in Unity Township. While St. Clair's memorial, quoted in part above, indicates that this fort, or block house, was in existence in the spring of 1774, it was at least en- larged in the spring of 1781, as Lochry wrote Presi- dent Reed on April 17 of that year, as follows: "I have built a magazine (in the form of a Block house) that will be defended with a very few men." (Pa. Archives, Vol. 9, pages 79 and 80.) 4. Peirry's Blockhouse, erected in the spring of 1774 and located on the plantation of Colonel James Perry on Big Sewickley Creek, in the Sewickley settle- ment. 5. Carnahan's Blockhouse, erected in the spring of 1774 on the plantation of Adam Carnahan, about two miles south of the Kiskiminetas and six miles below the mouth of the Conemaugh, in the present Bell Town- ship. - As the traveler passes through Perrysville, he can see the site of this fort, famous in Revolutionary annals as the assemblying place of Colonel Archibald Lochry's unfortunate expedition. 6. Shield's Fort, or Blockhouse, erected in the spring of 1774 and located on the plantation'.of John Shields, near the Loyalhanna and less than a mile from the present town of New Alexandria. -. LORD DUNMORE'S WAR 313 7. Proctor's Fort, or Blockhouse, also called Fort Shippen, located near Old Unity Presbyterian Church, in Unity Township. It stood on the plantation of Colonel John Proctor. 8. Markle's (Maracle's) Blockhouse, sometimes called Markle's Station, erected at least as early as the spring of 1774, and located on the plantation of Gas- pard Markle, in the Sewickley settlement and about two miles from the present town of West Newton. Gaspard Markle was a Pennsylvania-German from Berks County, who settled here in 1770. His mill, which stood near the fort, was erected in 1772, and was probably the first in Westmoreland County. This fort, on Sewickley Creek, in the present South Huntingdon Township, was the first stopping place of Lochry's ex- pedition, mentioned above. 9. Fort Barr, originally a blockhouse, erected in the spring of 1774, but later enlarged to a stockade fort, was located on the plantation of Robert Barr, about one mile from New Derry. Robert Barr's family had suffered at the hands of the Indians during the raid of Shingas and Captain Jacobs into what is now Peters Township, Franklin County, in February, 1756, his father's house being burned and his brother, James, wounded on that occasion. (Author's "Indian Wars of Pennsylvania," second edition, pages 221, 268 and 802.) But, as we shall see in a later chapter, the family suffered still more at the hands of the Indians, in Westmoreland, during the Revolution. 10. Pomeroy's (Pomroy's) Blockhouse, erected in the spring of 1774, and located on the plantation of Colonel John Pomeroy, about one half mile from Mill- wood and between this village and New Derry. Some of Colonel Pomeroy's relatives had been killed by the Indians near Shippensburg, in the Cumberland Valley, 314 HISTORY OF FORT LIGONIER in July, 1763. (Author's "Indian Wars of Pennsyl- vania." second edition, pages 436, 861 and 862.) As we shall see in a subsequent chapter, he was commander of Fort Ligonier for some time during the Revolution- ary War. 11. Wilson's Blockhouse, erected probably as early as the spring of 1774, and located on the plantation of Major James Wilson, about one mile northeast of the present village of New Derry. 12. Fort Palmer, erected very likely as early as the spring of 1774, and located on the plantation of John Palmer, in the present Fairfield Township, about seven miles from Ligonier. This fort is famous in the history and traditions of the Ligonier and Conemaugh valleys. Many people in its vicinity were killed by the Indians during the Revolutionary War. Unhappily, however, most of this tragic history will likely remain forever unrecorded. 13. Walthour's Fort (Fort Walthour), famous in Revolutionary annals, was erected as early as the spring of 1774, according to St. Clair's memorial, quoted above. It stood on the plantation of the Pennsylvania- German, Christopher Walthour (Waldhauer), -a little more than a mile east of Irwin and about eight miles west of Greensburg. The traveler on the Lincoln High- way passes near the site of this historic Westmoreland fort. About four miles to the northward was Byerly's Station, mentioned in former chapters. 14. Fort Allen, erected in the spring of 1774, near historic Zion (Old Harrold's) Lutheran Church, in Hempfield Township, about three miles west of Greens- burg, on the left hand side of the road leading from Greensburg to West Newton. This fort, which stood in the Herold's (Harrold's) settlement, was erected by the Pennsylvania-German pioneers of this place and Brush Creek %nd was named in honor of Andrew LORD DUNMORE'S WAR 315 Allen, of the Pennsylvania Council. In the old rec- ords, it is mentioned as being "between Wendel Oury's (Uhrig's) and Christopher Truby's." Colonel Christ- opher Truby, its commander during most of the period of its service, was one of the two original land owners of the present Greensburg, and his dust reposes in the old German Lutheran Cemetery in the capital city of Westmoreland. Petitions From Westmoreland Forts In June, 1774, the following petition to Governor Penn was sent from four of the forts named above, namely, Proctor's Fort, Hannastown Fort, Shield's Fort and Fort Allen: "The Petition of the Inhabitants of Westmoreland County Humbly Sheweth: That there is the greatest Reason to apprehend that this part of the Country will be immediately involved in all the horrors of an Indian War; That our Circumstances at this Critical Juncture are truly alarming. Deserted by far the greater part of our neighbours and fellow subjects, unprovided with places of strength to resort to, with Amunition, Provisions and almost every other neces- sary Store, Our houses are abandoned to pillage, Labour and Industry entirely at a stand, Our Crops destroyed by Cattle, our flocks dispersed, and the minds of our people distracted with the terrors of falling, along with their helpless and unprotected families, the immediate Victims of Savage Barbarity. "In the midst of these scenes of Desolation and ruin, next to the Almighty we look up to your Honour, hop- ing from your known Benevolence and Humanity, such Protection and Relief as to your Honour shall seem meet. And your Petitioners, as in Duty bound, will Pray." I IuIuIrn.UI - EE.I EuE 316 HISTORY OF FORT LIGONIER The petition from Proctor's Fort (Fort Shippen) had seventy-eight signers, nearly all Scotch-Irish, such as John Proctor, Samuel Sloan, James Campbell, Fer- guson Moorhead, Robert Ralston, James Wallace, John Taylor and James Carnahan, but such Pennsyl- vania-Germans as George Hellingbar and Henry Zane; that from Hannastown Fort, a general petition for the county, had one hundred and thirty-four signers, nearly all Scotch-Irish, such as Robert Hanna, John Erwin, William Jack, John Christy, William and David Shaw, Hugh Brownlee, James Beatty, Adam Maxwell and John Guthrey (Guthrie), but two
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