Fort Shirley was a military fort located in present-day Shirleysburg, Pennsylvania.[1] The was a fort erected in the 1750s by George Croghan and the Province of Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War.

1770 map of the Province of Pennsylvania showing Fort Shirley below and to the left of the map's center.

History

In 1753, George Croghan built a trading post and homestead at Aughwick Creek and the Juniata River.[2][1] In September 1755, Croghan began fortifying his post[3] to protect against Native Americans after General Edward Braddock's defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela.[2] A few months later, the post was taken over by Pennsylvania, commissioning Croghan as captain.[2] Croghan built small fort at Aughwick, about 6 miles from the trading post, to protect the trading post, homestead, and residents against attacking Native Americans.[2][4] The fort would be a launching point for militia expeditions. In 1756, that fort was named Fort Shirley, in honor of William Shirley.[1]

Fort Shirley, along with Forts Granville, Lyttleton, and Patterson, formed a defensive chain that stretched from the lower Juniata River and Aughwick Creek valleys.[5] After Braddock's defeat, these forts came under attack by several Native American tribes, as well as French troops. The worst of these attacks came at Fort Granville on 2 August, 1756, when François Coulon de Villiers succeeded in taking the outpost, and in the process killed the lieutenant in charge of the fort.

Fort Shirley was abandoned shortly after the destruction of Fort Granville,[3] but not before Colonel John Armstrong led a 300-man expedition from the fort to attack the Native American base of operations at Kittanning.

References cited

1937. Souvenir Historical Book, Sesqui-Centennial Celebration of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Huntingdon County Historical Society, Huntingdon, PA.

Africa, J.S. 1883. History of Huntingdon County Pennsylvania. Huntingdon County Historical Society, Huntingdon, PA.

Burns, Jonathan A., Drobnock, George John, and Smith, Jared M. 2008. Croghan at Aughwick: History, Maps, and Archaeology Collide in the Search for Fort Shirley. Paper Presented Pioneer America Society October 2008.

Coe, M. D. 2006. The Line of Forts: Historical Archaeology on the Colonial Frontier of Massachusetts. University Press of New England, Hanover.

Donehoo, George P., Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania, The Telegraph Press, Harrisburg, PA, 1928

Hannah, C. A. 1911. The Wilderness Trail, vols. I and II. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York

Hazard, Samuel. 1851. Pennsylvania Archives, vol. II. Joseph Severns and Co., Philadelphia, PA.

Hazard, Samuel. 1878. Pennsylvania Archives, vol. VI. Joseph Severns and Co., Philadelphia, PA.

Hazard, Samuel. 1851. The Pennsylvania Colonial Records, vol. VI, Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania. Theodore Fenn and Co., Harrisburg, PA.

Hunter W. A. 1960. Forts on the Pennsylvania Frontier, 1753-1758. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, PA.

Jordan, J.W. 1936. A History of the Juniata River Valley in Three Volumes, vol. III. National Historical Association, Harrisburg, PA.

Lytle, M.S. 1876. History of Huntingdon County, in the state of Pennsylvania: from the earliest times to the centennial anniversary of American independence, July 4, 1876. W.H. Roy Publishers, Lancaster, PA.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. 1871. [1818] Armstrong, Armstrong, and Duncan v. Morgan. In, Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Vol. III. JNO. Campbell, Philadelphia.

Waddel, Louis M. and Bomberger, Bruce D. 1996. The French and Indian War In Pennsylvania, 1753–1763. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA.

Weiser, J. G. 1916. The Frontier Forts in the Cumberland and Juniata Valleys. In, Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, Vol. I, edited by T.L. Montgomery. W. S. Ray, State Printer, Harrisburg, PA.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fort Shirley Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tucker, Spencer C.; Arnold, James R.; Wiener, Roberta (2008-08-13). The Encyclopedia of North American Colonial Conflicts to 1775 [3 volumes]: A Political, Social, and Military History [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-85109-757-9.
  3. 1 2 Waddell and Bomberger, p. 88
  4. ↑ "This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology: Report from the Fort: A Brief Summary of the 2012 Penn State University Archaeology Field School at Fort Shirley (36HU94)". This Week In Pennsylvania Archaeology. 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  5. ↑ Waddell and Bomberger, p. 17

Sources

  • Volwiler, Albert T. 1926. George Croghan and the Westward Movement, 1741-1782. Arthur H. Clarke and Co., Cleveland, OH.
  • Waddell, Louis M, and Bruce D. Bomberger, The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania 1753-1763, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania., 1996, ISBN 0-89271-057-8.
  • Wainwright, Nicholas B. 1959. George Croghan, Wilderness Diplomat. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, N.C.

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