Steele's Fort, Franklin County, PA

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Source

Report of the Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania:

The Indian forts of the Blue Mountains. By H.M. Richards.

The frontier forts within the north and west branches of the Susquehanna River. By J.M. Buckalew. :The frontier forts within the Wyoming Valley region. By S. Reynolds.

The frontier forts in the Cumberland and Juniata valleys. By J.G. Weiser

Commission to Locate the Site of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards, John M. Buckalew, Sheldon Reynolds, Jay Gilfillan Weiser, George Dallas Albert

See also McCormicks Fort

Text

FORT STEEL. This fort was erected in the year 1755. Its site is on the south side of the east branch of the Conococheague creek, being about twenty miles north from Mason and Dixon's line, and a little to the west of in a straight line of where Hagerstown, Maryland, stands. It was known in frontier times as Rev. Steel's Fort. It was situate where what is called the Presbyterian White Church, about five miles south of Fort Loudoun, and about three miles east of Mercersburg. It was a place of notoriety during the Indian wars. It was erected shortly after Braddock's defeat and was referred to shortly afterwards in connection with the Indian invasion which occurred in November of that year. With regard to the appellation, Eev. Steel's Fort, Judge Chambers, an influential citizen of the community, states: "The first fort I have any information of in the Conococheague settlement is this one; this settlement composed nearly the whole of the county of Franklin. This was at John Steel's meeting house, which was surrounded by a rude stockade fort in 1755. Upon a visit of the Indians to this settlement in November, 1755, the Reverend Steel, with others to the number of about one hundred went in quest of them, but with no success. The location of this site was in one of the oldest settlements in the Conococheague Valley, and indeed, we find that settlements began as early as the year 1736. The land was assumed to be taken from the Proprietary by those only who designed to settle upon it and the settlement soon became numerous. A few years later they formed themselves into a congregation and enjoyed supplies of preaching from that time. Subsequently to this period, the congregation became divided and different churches were erected, but so united were they in their tenets that one preacher usually supplied several congregations. It is from this fact that we find one of the churches, known as The White Church, called the Reverend John Steel's Church. It was in this church that he was installed as the pastor in 1754, and at the same time holding a charge in the east Conococheague. In the year following this, this settlement was very greatly disturbed by the interruption and forays of the Indians on account of the injurious defeat of General Braddock. This was continued for upwards of two years until the settlement was entirely broken up. But after quiet was restored, the people again returned to their desolated homes and adopted their old form of a congregation and engaged supplies from the Presbytery of Donegal."

We here append data relative to the character of the Reverend John Steel, and show that his services in his pastoral relations hereabouts at that early time, were equalled by intrepidity on the field of battle as well, for we find him engaging in the frontier defences with a vigor characteristic of the brave pioneer of that day. Though a man of peace and engaged in teaching the doctrine of his Divine Master, yet his heart burned within him on account of the sufferings inflicted upon his parishioners and neighbors, and he speedily organized a company of rangers for their defence, of which he was unanimously elected the captain and was commissioned by the Provincial government.

After General Braddock's defeat in 1755, the Indians again swept over the western and southwestern part of this county, murdering and plundering the settlers, and, as we have stated before, Mr. Steel's congregation was for a time almost broken up and dispersed. Frequent mention is made of Mr. Steel and his men in the history of those troublous times.

In a letter of instructions to John Steel, in 1756, we have the following: "With these instructions, you will receive a commission appointing you Captain of a company in the pay of the Province, which is to be made up by drafts of thirteen men out of each of the companies, composed by James Burd, Hance Hamilton, James Patterson and Hugh Mercer, Esq., to whom I now send orders to make the draft accordingly, and also a commission appointing James Holliday, your lieutenant. You will, therefore, as soon as may be, after your arrival in Cumberland county, send an officer, with my orders to the several Captains, to receive from them drafts agreeable to my orders. When you have formed your company, you are to take post at McDowell's Mill, upon the road to the Ohio, which you are to make your headquarters and to detach patroling parlies from time to time, to scour the woods, in such manner as you shall judge, most consistent with the safety of the inhabitants. In case any of the men you receive should be unfit for service, you are to pay and discharge them, and enlist others in their stead, taking care to observe the form of enlistment prescribed to Captain Potter, from whom you will receive copies of the papers necessary to guide you in this particular. You are to inform me from time to time what you do, and of everything material that happened upon that part of the frontier, and of the number and motions of any body of French or Indians that you shall receive intelligence of. You are to apply to Mr. Adam Hoopes for the Provincial allowance of provisions for the men under your command." Under an order to JamesBurd. "a draft of thirteen private men made out of his company were to be delivered to John Steel, who was appointed Captain of a company."

In another letter from Rev. John Steel to Governor Morris, dated April llth, 1756, written from Peters township, Cumberland county, we have the following:

"May it please your Honour, upon my return to Cumberland county, I applied immediately to Captain Burd and Captain Patterson for the drafts of their companies, according to your Honour's instructions, but the time for which most of their men had been enlisted, being expired, they could not fulfill your Honour's orders. Most of the force had not received their full complement of guns, but were in a great measure supplied by the arms the young men had brought with them. Captain Patterson had received but thirty-three fire arms, Captain Mercer had not so many, but he is supplied by Mr. Croghan's arms, and Captain Hamilton had lost a considerable number of his at late skirmishes, beyond Sideling Hill. As I can neither have the men, arms nor blankets, I am obliged to apply to your Honour for them. The necessity of our circumstances has obliged me to muster before two magistrates, the one half of my company, whom I enlisted and am obliged to borrow guns. I pray that with all possible expedition fifty-four fire arms and as many blankets, and a quantity of flints may be sent to me, for since McCord's Fort has been taken, and ye men defeated, yet forsooth, our country is in utmost confusion.

"Great numbers have left the county and many are prepared to follow. May it please your Honour to allow me an ensign, for I find yet a sergeant's pay will not prevail with men to enlist in whom much confidence is reposed. I beg leave to recommend Archibald Irwin to your Honour for this purpose. As Mr. Hoopes can given your Honour a particular account of the late incursion of the enemy, I need not trouble your Honour with any account of mine." As the records show, at a meeting of the General Committee, of Cumberland county, convened by order of John Potter, sheriff of the county, at the house of Mr. Shippen, October 30th, 1755, at which eighteen persons were present, it was then resolved "to immediately build five large forts, namely, Carlisle, Shippensburg, Col. •Chambers, Mr. Steel's Meeting House, and at William Allison, Esquire, in which the women and children were to be deposited, from which on alarm intelligence was to be sent to the other forts."

At one time, it is stated, that Eevered Steel was in charge of Fort Allison, located just west of the town, near what afterward became the site of McCauley's Mill. At this time the congregation had assembled in a barn, standing on the farm now owned by Adam B. Wingard, Esquire. During this period, when Mr. Steel entered the Church and took his place back of the rude pulpit, he hung his hat and rifle behind him, and this was also done by many of his parishioners. On one occasion, while in the midst of his discourse, some one stepped into the church quietly and called a number of the congregation out and related to him the facts of a murder of a family by the name of Walker by the Indians at Rankin's Mill. The tragic story was soon whispered from one to another. As soon as Mr. Steel discovered what had taken place he brought the services to a close, took his hat and rifle, and at the head of the members of his congregation, went in pursuit of the murderers. His meeting house was turned into a fort, was stockaded for defence, and often was the refuge of the laboring people -when the country was invaded by the Indians.

It was subsequently burned by the savages, in one of their forays. About the year 1763 or '64, in frequent attacks of the Indians, Mr. Steel took charge of the Presbyterian church at Carlisle, where he spent the remainder of his days.

Mr. Steel was a man of great intrepidity of character, and often did he lead forth companies of armed men to repel the invading savages. He was a good preacher and a sound Divine, but his labors here were of too short duration, and the country too much disturbed to have been as greatly or as extensively useful as he would have been under more favorable circumstances. The conditions of life at that tune, as compared with those of the present, were vastly different. It was theirs to toil and struggle and ours one of comparative ease and safety.

From information received from Mr. D. Witherspoon, Culbertson postoffice, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, the writer would state that there was a fort in Guilford township, Franklin county. Pennsylvania, located on the Etter farm, now known as the Latshaw farm, near Guilford Springs. This blockhouse or fort was built in defence against the Indian raids made upon the early settlers of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He states that his wife's great grandfather settled in that section as early as 1743.

Some years ago a daughter of Mr. Etter found an Indian tomahawk where this old fort stood, in Guilford township. It was made of iron or steel. He also states that there was a man killed by an Indian close by, while he was on his way to the fort. He states that this information was given to him by his father, David Witherspoon, his grandfather, James Witherspoon, having settled in that township shortly after the Revolutionary war.

The same writer also furnishes the following information, that there was an old fort at the head of Row springs, in Greene township, is known as Culbertson's Row. This old fort, he states, was erected in 1752, shortly before the time of Braddock's defeat at Fort Duquesne. This old fort stood about one hundred yards from where D. C. Witherspoon, the informant, lives, at the head of Row springs. He further states that information that was furnished him by his wife's great grandfather, Joseph Culbertson, one of four brothers, who emigrated from Ireland, and that he helped to erect this old fort. The old fort has been pulled down long ago, and some of the logs that were used in the construction of it are in a house owned by Adam Killinger, about one mile from this place—Culbertson's. These places were merely blockhouses.consequence of these