An introduction to the story of Fort Granville, built in 1755 as part of a series of forts to protect the frontier west of the Susquehanna River. Presented as part of “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly series produced for the Sunbury Daily Item, with the above number published on April 4, 1987.
Panel 1 – Fort Granville was built in 1755 by George Croghan about a mile west of Lewistown as part of a line of forts west of the Susquehanna. In July, 1756, as the French and Indian War was going full tilt, about sixty provincial soldiers commanded by Captain Edward Ward occupied the fort.
Panel 2 – Meanwhile, Chief Shingas “The Terrible” and his Delaware tribesmen were terrorizing settlers in the Tuscarora Valley. They also attacked Robert Baskins‘ farm near Duncannon, killing Baskins and abducting his family. In Sherman’s Valley they murdered a family of seven. Another raiding party kidnapped Hugh Carrol and his family near Shermansdale.
Panel 3 – These diversionary attacks succeeded in getting Captain Ward to send Lt. Faulkner with 20 men into the Tuscarora Valley to protect farmers who were harvesting grain. Ward took two dozen troops into Sherman’s Valley for the same purpose leaving Fort Granville with 20 soldiers commanded by Edward Armstrong, an inexperienced Lieutenant.
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An explanation of the series “Pennsylvania Profiles” appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item, May 10 1985:
For the stories behind… forgotten but fascinating facts, you’ll want to read “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly feature with vivid illustrations… in this newspaper…. Pennsylvania Profiles delves into the nooks and crannies of the Keystone State’s hectic heritage. [It] is researched, written and illustrated by Patrick M. Reynolds of Willow Street, a town in southern Lancaster County. He is a graduate of Pratt institute, Brooklyn, New York, and Syracuse University, New York. His features are available in books. Reynolds is a Vietnam War veteran and an Army reserve Infantry officer.
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Obtained through Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
[Indians]