Fort Shirley facts for kids
Fort Shirley was a fort built by the government of Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. It was an important outpost that helped protect settlers and served as a base for military actions.
Fort Shirley's Role in Frontier History
In the mid-1750s, the mountains and valleys of south-central Pennsylvania were a busy place. Different European and Native American cultures met and sometimes clashed here. This area, now part of Huntingdon County, was a wild forest between colonial Philadelphia and the Ohio Country. It was also along new trade routes through the mountains.
Before Fort Shirley was built, a small trading post stood here. It was run by George Croghan, an Irish immigrant known as the "King of the Traders." Croghan lived along Aughwick Creek, near what is now Shirleysburg. A large settlement called Aughwick Old Town grew up next to his trading post. This spot became an important meeting place for Native Americans and the Pennsylvania government.
In 1754, after George Washington suffered a defeat, Native Americans loyal to the British sought safety at Aughwick. This included leaders like Queen Aliquippa and the Half King. George Croghan took care of them. In 1755, after General Edward Braddock's defeat, Croghan and his followers fortified the trading post. By 1756, this site became Fort Shirley, used by Colonel John Armstrong to plan an attack on Kittanning.
Building and Protecting the Fort
In September 1755, Croghan strengthened his trading post. He did this to protect his supplies and about 200 Iroquois people who had come there for safety. A few months later, the Pennsylvania government took over the post. It became a small fort to protect villagers from attacks. It also served as a starting point for militia trips.
Fort Shirley was part of a chain of forts. These included Forts Granville, Lyttelton, and Patterson. They formed a defensive line along the lower Juniata River and Aughwick Creek valleys. British forces, led by Hugh Mercer, officially named Croghan's strengthened fort "Fort Shirley" in early 1756.
After Braddock's defeat, forts in the Juniata Valley faced attacks from Native American tribes and French troops. One major attack happened at Fort Granville on August 3, 1756. Louis Coulon de Villiers captured that fort and killed its commander. Fort Shirley was Colonel John Armstrong's base for his raid on Kittanning in the fall of 1756. Even though the raid was successful, the fort was abandoned by provincial forces later that September.
Fort Shirley's Location and Landscape
Fort Shirley was located in Southern Huntingdon County. Aughwick Creek, a branch of the Juniata River, provided a travel route through the rugged Pennsylvania mountains. The land north of modern-day Shirleysburg was excellent for farming. It was a wide floodplain along a bend in the creek.
A small stream called Fort Run joins Aughwick Creek nearby. George Croghan, the fort's founder, probably noticed this land as early as 1747. He built a house and trading post here in 1753. This area was described as being in the southern part of Huntingdon County. A famous path from Kittanning to Philadelphia, used by travelers and traders, ran through this valley.
Croghan was always pushing into the western frontier. In 1755, he wrote that he lived "30 Miles back of all Inhabitance on ye fronteers." By this time, Croghan was essentially hiding out in the back country. He had lost many of his supplies and money helping Braddock's expedition.
An early map from 1755 by John Armstrong showed a proposed chain of forts to protect the western frontier. Croghan was asked by the governor to help set up these forts in 1755. He used his existing fort at Aughwick as one of these defensive locations.
Croghan's Trading Post and Aughwick Old Town
To understand Fort Shirley's location, it's important to know about the settlement next to it. Aughwick Old Town was a large community that grew around George Croghan's home. It was a place where Native Americans and white settlers traded and found safety.
In 1754, Croghan wrote to the governor that the Half King and his Mingo Seneca people had been staying with him. They came after Washington's defeat. These Native American allies of Washington needed protection. Croghan asked the governor for money to help feed and house so many families.
Conrad Weiser visited Croghan's home in September 1754. He reported to Governor Hamilton that Croghan had plenty of food. He also saw about 20 cabins around Croghan's house. These cabins housed at least 200 Native Americans, including men, women, and children. Croghan's trading business attracted many people. This included his partners, employees, and servants.
As the French and Indian War approached, Croghan became an important leader. He helped supply Braddock's expedition in 1755. He and his scouts were the first to encounter French forces. Croghan had gathered Seneca, Mingo, and Oneida warriors to help Braddock. However, Braddock did not trust them, so only a few joined the expedition.
After Braddock's death, Croghan returned home. He heard that war parties were planning to attack the frontier. Instead of waiting for government money, Croghan built a stockade fort himself in the fall of 1755. This protected his supplies and the settlement at Aughwick Old Town.
The Fort's Design and Purpose
George Croghan was a clever frontiersman. He likely planned his home's defenses well. When it was time to formally fortify his position in 1755, he probably used existing buildings. He knew a lot about Native American fighting tactics. The government even saw him as an expert on fort building. Besides his fort at Aughwick, Croghan also helped plan Fort Lyttleton.
Croghan's fort was different from military forts. It was built after his cabin and storehouses. This means their location likely influenced where the stockade was placed. He built it with the help of his men and local workers. It was first called "Croghan's fort." Provincial forces took it over and renamed it "Fort Shirley" in January 1756.
Croghan was made a captain by the Governor. He commanded Fort Shirley for the first three months of 1756. Then, Captain Mercer took command of the 75-man garrison. In a letter from Governor Morris to General Shirley in February 1756, it was written:
"…about twenty miles northward of Fort Lyttelton, at a place called Aughwick, another fort is erected something larger than Fort Lyttelton, which I have taken the liberty of naming Fort Shirley. This stands near the great path used by the Indians and Indians traders, to and from the Ohio, and consequently the easiest way of access for the Indians into the settlements of this Province."
The fort was an important outpost. However, it was later ordered to be abandoned by the governor in 1756. Fort Shirley was a key post during Braddock's difficult time. Armed groups were constantly moving to and from it. Because of its advanced location, Colonel Armstrong and his troops left Fort Shirley on August 29, 1756. They were going on the Kittanning Expedition to get revenge for the destruction of Fort Granville.
Records from the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania noted that Fort Shirley was "not easily defended." Its water source could be taken by the enemy. Also, no well was dug inside. Because it was so far away, they thought it could not help the country in those times.
Not much is known about the fort's exact structure. It was a stockade fort and "something larger than Fort Lyttelton." Fort Lyttelton and Fort Louden were described as 100 feet square. This gives us an idea of Fort Shirley's minimum size.
Tracking the Fort's Land Ownership
The land where Fort Shirley stood has a long history of ownership. George Croghan was the first owner after the area was opened for settlement. He reportedly bought the Aughwick land from the Onondaga people, not the Penn family. This caused some arguments with the provincial government.
The ownership of Croghan's land at Aughwick was even argued in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1799. Later, the land was given to James Fowley in 1773. A minister named Rev. Philip Fithian visited in 1775. He wrote in his diary that he stayed at Mr. Fowley's home, "who lives within the walls of old Fort Shirley." This tells us the fort's walls were still visible then. The land was then transferred to Paul Warner in 1776.
In 1783, Samuel McCammon bought the land that included the fort stockade. He reportedly built his house using the logs from the old fort house. This means the fort's stockade was still visible at that time. It's possible that all the usable wood from the fort was taken for other buildings. This would leave only buried remains and artifacts to show the fort's location.
Historical Accounts and Modern Search
Many historical accounts describe Fort Shirley's location. However, they sometimes have contradictions. One of the first descriptions after the colonial period appeared in a newspaper called The Standing Stone Banner.
In Lytle's History of Huntingdon County, he mentions that the fort's site was often pointed out by people who had seen it. One person, Isaac Morgan, claimed to have stayed in the fort as a boy. It was described as a strong, large log fort. It stood on the edge of a plateau, south of Fort Run. The trading post was about halfway between the fort and Aughwick Creek. People also collected arrowheads, stone tomahawks, beads, and musket balls from this historic ground.
Another historian, Africa, wrote that the fort stockade was on the south bank of Fort Run. Captain Croghan's house was a little west of the fort. A report by Weiser (1916) said the fort was on an "elevated plot of ground" where the Shirleysburg Female Seminary later stood. This location was within Shirleysburg, about a quarter-mile from Aughwick Creek.
Modern efforts to find the fort's exact spot have used old maps and new technology. An old survey map from 1761 by Surveyor General Armstrong showed a location for the fort. When this map was compared to modern aerial photos, it was found that the map had some inaccuracies. The symbol for the fort on the map was also much too large to be to scale.
Penn State University Summer Field School 2010
In the summer of 2010, a team began investigating the site. They found evidence of a palisade fort. They also found signs of both Native American and military activities.
When Croghan chose the location, it was good for a home, not necessarily for a fort. The landscape might have changed over time due to floods, erosion, and farming. There are no obvious traces of the fort or Croghan's home visible on aerial photos. Old Pennsylvania State Route 522 might have also affected the fort and village sites.
To help find the fort, scientists used special tools. These tools, like ground-penetrating radar, can detect things buried underground. They can find traces of foundations, palisade walls, and powder magazines. This helps guide where archaeologists should dig.
Even without professional digs, people believed the fort was near the Female Seminary or the Leas House. In 1984, a metal detector found a part of a gun (a frizzen) and a lead ball behind the Leas house. This spot is closer to the old railroad station mentioned in some accounts. Military and Native American artifacts are rumored to have been collected from this field for over 100 years.
