Big Spring Graveyard
Ayr Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Among those buried here are victims of the Great Cove Massacre of Nov. 1, 1755, at present McConnellsburg. The raid was conducted by Delawares and Shawnees led by Shingas, the Delaware "king." Houses were burned, and about 50 settlers were killed or captured. Its revelation at a meeting of Pennsylvania's Provincial Council, Nov. 5, 1755, led Gov. R.H. Morris to ask the Assembly for increased frontier protection.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
This burial ground holds victims of the Great Cove Massacre, a raid carried out on November 1, 1755, near present McConnellsburg during the violent opening of the French and Indian War on Pennsylvania's frontier. Delaware and Shawnee warriors led by the Delaware leader Shingas burned homes and killed or captured some fifty settlers. When word reached the Provincial Council in Philadelphia days later, it spurred Governor Robert Hunter Morris to press the Assembly for stronger defenses along the exposed backcountry.
Why it matters
The massacre exposed the deadly cost of Pennsylvania's unguarded frontier and helped force the colony toward organized military defense in the French and Indian War.
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Related people
- · Shingas
- · Robert Hunter Morris
Related events
- · Great Cove Massacre
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Black Boys Rebellion
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Rev. Steel's Fort
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