Bower Hill
Scott Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Site of Gen. John Neville's mansion, burned to the ground by insurgents during a major escalation of violence in the Whiskey Rebellion, July 16-17, 1794. Gen. Neville was Inspector of Revenue under President Washington. In the two-day battle, Neville with his slaves and a small federal detachment met a force of over 500 rebels. Two opposition leaders, Oliver Miller and James McFarlane, were killed.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the summer of 1794, the hills southwest of Pittsburgh became a flashpoint in the young republic's first great test of federal authority. Angry over Alexander Hamilton's excise tax on distilled spirits — a hardship for cash-poor frontier farmers who turned grain into whiskey — armed settlers besieged the home of tax inspector General John Neville. Over two days of fighting, Neville's mansion was put to the torch and men fell on both sides, forcing President Washington to eventually lead troops west to restore order.
Why it matters
The Whiskey Rebellion was the first serious armed challenge to the authority of the new federal government under the Constitution, and Washington's response established that federal law could be enforced across the frontier.
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Related people
- · Gen. John Neville
- · Oliver Miller
- · James McFarlane
- · George Washington
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
- · Battle of Bower Hill
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Neville House
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This stone house called Woodville was built in 1785 by General John Neville, a Revolutionary War officer who later took the unpopular job of federal excise inspector for western Pennsylvania. When enraged whiskey rebels burned his nearby Bower Hill mansion in July 1794, his family fled here for refuge, one violent flashpoint in the tax revolt that soon drew a presidential army. Woodville still stands as one of the region's oldest homes.
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