To the Honorable the Commission appointed by his Excellency, Gov. Robert E.
Pattison, under Act of Assembly, approved the 28d day of May, A. D. 1893, to
examine and report to the next session of the Legislature upon the advisability
of marking by suitable tablets the various forts erected against the Indians by
the early settlers of this Commonwealth prior to the year 1783.
This committee, having qualified, met in Harrisburg in November, 1893; after
organizing, divided the State into five districts, one to each member to examine
and report upon to the body at some time agreed upon. This being the time set, I
respectfully submit for your inspection and approval the result of my
investigations.
Commencing my labors soon after returning home from Harrisburg, I found my
territory, which comprised old Northumberland County, with her ample limits
contained fifteen or sixteen of these forts, many of whose sites were unknown to
the great mass of our citizens. Three to five generations had passed away since
the stirring scenes that made these forts necessary had been enacted; in some
cases the descendants of the early settlers had removed or the families died out
of the knowledge of the present generation. One would wonder at this was he not
acquainted with the settling up of the great West, where, for seventy or more
years poured a steady stream of emigrants, who, I am happy to say, have done no
discredit to the State rearing them.
Those paying attention to archeology invariably assisted me to the extent of
their ability whenever called upon. I am deeply indebted to Col. John G. Freeze,
author of History of Columbia County; Hon. John Blair Linn, author of Annals of
Buffalo Valley; J. M. M. Gernerd, of Muncy, and publisher author of Now and
Then, for much valuable aid. To that veteran historian, John F. Meginness, of
Williamsport, I am deeply indebted for assistance in locating a part of the
forts, as well as the information derived from his publications, especially his
"Otzinachson," or History of the West Branch Valley; to J. H, MacMinn and Capt.
David Bly, of Williamsport, and Capt. R. Stewart Barker, of Lock Haven, for
valuable aid; to Wm. Field Shay, Esq., and J. L Higbee, of Watsontown, for
information and aid in locating sites of some of the forts; to David Montgomery,
at Fort Rice at Montgomery's for aid: to O B. Melick, Esq. of Bloomsburg, for
aid in locating; to M. L. Hendricks, of Sunbury, for gentlemanly aid to the
Commission when there; to Dr. R. H. Awl, of the same place, for information to
the Commission. We found him a veritable storehouse of knowledge in all
pertaining to Fort Augusta, to Sunbury and its surroundings.
I find it impossible to set out the claims of many of these forts to recognition
without including the biography in part of some of the most active participants
in the stirring events of their date, and consequently, our report will assume
greater dimensions than originally expected.
The forts coming within my review according to the decision of the commission,
were as follows:
Fort Augusta, At Sunbury,
Northumberland County, Pa., on East bank of Main River Susquehanna, and near the
junction of its North and West Branches, covering branches and main river.
Fort Jenkins, Located on the north
bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna, in Centre Township, Columbia
County, about midway between the present towns of Berwick and Bloomsburg.
Fort Wheeler, Located
on banks of Fishing Creek, about three miles above present town of Bloomsburg,
on B. & S. R. R., in Scott Township, Columbia County, at Shew's paper mill.
Fort McClure,
Located on bank of river within the present limits of town of Bloomsburg,
Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
Fort Bosley, or Bosley's
Mills, Located at Washingtonville, Derry Township, Montour County, in the
forks of the Chilisquaqua Creek.
Fort Rice, At Montgomery's,
known in turns by each of these names. Located in Lewis Township, Northumberland
County, four miles west of Bosley's mills, and two or three miles from site of
Fort Freeland.
Fort Freeland. Located
on the north side of Warrior Run, about four miles east of Watsontown,
Northumberland County, and on the line of the W. & W. R. R.
Fort Boone, or
Boone's Mills, Located on Muddy Run, near its mouth, between the towns of
Milton and Watsontown, and about two miles below the latter, near the West
Branch of the Susquehanna, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Fort
Swartz, Located on the east bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna
river, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, about one mile above present town
of Milton.
Fort Menninger, Located
at White Deer Mills, on the west bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna and
on the north bank of White Deer creek, near the town of White Deer, in Union
County.
Fort Brady, Located
adjoining the town of Muncy, Lycoming County, south of the built-up portions of
the town.
Fort Muncy, Located on railroad
about a half mile above Hall's Station, in Lycoming County, and a few hundred
yards directly in front of the famous Hall's Stone House of 1769.
Fort Antes, Located on
the edge of a plateau overlooking Nippenose Creek, at its mouth and commanding
the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, on the south side, opposite the town
of Jersey Shore, situated in Lycoming County, near line of P & E. R. R.
Fort Horn, Located on the
P. & E. railroad, about midway between Pine and McElhattan Stations, in Clinton
County, Pennsylvania.
Fort Reid. Located in
the town of Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, on Water Street, in close
proximity and east of the Bald Eagle canal. Fortified, spring of 1777.
Respectfully submitted,
John M. Buckalew
Notes About Book:
Source: The Frontier Forts Within The North and West Branches of the Susquehanna
River Pennsylvania, BY Captain John M. Buckalew, Read Before The Wyoming
Historical And Geological, Society, October 1, 1895. Reprinted From The State
Report, 1896. E. B. Yoruy, Printer, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Notes about Online Publication: This manuscript has been ocr'd and heavily
edited. Many of the Native American words have been reproduced as clearly as
online publication will allow us, but not all are exactly the way they were in
the original work. The structure of this manuscript has been changed to allow
better online presentation.