Fort Bosley facts for kids

Fort Bosley was a special kind of fort built in 1777. It was located in the Susquehanna Valley, a wild frontier area in Pennsylvania. Its main job was to protect the families who were settling there. Fort Bosley was one of about a dozen forts in that region. It was built near a grist mill (a mill that grinds grain into flour) that John Bosley had built in 1773.

Early Settlement and the Mill

After the Treaty of Fort Stanwix was signed in 1768, people from Europe started to settle in Pennsylvania. This included the beautiful Susquehanna Valley. One of the first settlers near what is now Washingtonville was John Bosley. He moved to the area from Maryland.

John Bosley built his grist mill in 1773. It was on the eastern side of Chillisquaque Creek. This area had great land for farming. So, Bosley's Mill became very important for the farmers settling nearby. It helped them turn their grain into flour.

Why Forts Were Needed

Even though European settlers were allowed in the Susquehanna Valley, there were often conflicts with Native Americans. These problems grew even bigger when the Revolutionary War started. After General George Washington's army lost the Battle of Brandywine, a plan was made. The plan was to build a chain of forts along the Susquehanna Valley. These forts would protect settlers and help defend a larger fort called Fort Augusta.

Most of these frontier forts were built along the two main branches of the Susquehanna River. But Fort Bosley, which was fortified in 1777, was one of the few forts built away from the rivers.

Fort Bosley's Role

This mill, located in a remote spot, became the center of a larger fort. It had special openings in its walls for shooting. For a while, it even had a small howitzer (a type of cannon) inside. When people thought an attack might happen, settlers from the Chillisquaque Creek valley would rush to Fort Bosley for safety.

Fort Bosley was the only fortified place in Montour County, Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. Sometimes, old records called it "Brady’s Fort" or "Boyle’s Fort."

In 1779, a larger fort called Fort Freeland was captured by Native American groups. After that, Boone's Fort was abandoned. This meant Fort Bosley became the only northern defense line before a possible attack on Fort Augusta. Even with this big responsibility, Fort Bosley never had more than twenty soldiers defending it. Because other forts had fallen, and due to its remote location and lack of supplies, Fort Bosley was very vulnerable to attack.

There were also two important Native American trails nearby. One trail went from the Wyoming Valley to Muncy. The other, called the Muncy-Mahoning path, went near present-day Danville and Washingtonville.

Life at Fort Bosley

Despite its weaknesses, there are no records of Fort Bosley ever being attacked. It successfully protected the family of John Eves (who founded nearby Millville, Pennsylvania) after the terrible Wyoming Valley Massacre. The fort was last used by soldiers in 1780. However, it remained a valuable grist mill even after the American Revolution ended.

In 1788, a big famine (a time of severe food shortage) happened in the area. Phillip Maus, an early settler, bought grain from a farm and had it delivered to Bosley’s Mill. Settlers living near the mill could get this grain during the hard times. By then, the area around the mill was already known as “Washington,” which later became Washingtonville.

The End of Fort Bosley

John Bosley sold his mill and the land around it in 1795. He and his wife then moved to New York. John died there in 1800. Bosley's Mill was very important. It was the heart of the fort that defended the Chillisquaque Creek valley. It also played a big part in the growth of Washingtonville. Sadly, the mill burned down in 1826.

Today, there is no physical evidence of the mill. However, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a special marker along Route 54. This marker was dedicated on May 12, 1947, to remember the mill's time as a fort.