Bradford House
Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built in 1788 by David Bradford, leader of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Occupied by him until he fled to Spanish West Florida after the collapse of the Rebellion.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
David Bradford built this fine stone house in 1788, and six years later he emerged as a leading figure in the Whiskey Rebellion, the armed uprising of western Pennsylvania farmers against the federal excise tax on distilled spirits. When President Washington sent a militia army to enforce the law, the rebellion collapsed and Bradford fled to Spanish West Florida to escape prosecution. His abandoned home stands as a monument to one of the young republic's first great tests of federal authority.
Why it matters
The Whiskey Rebellion forced the new United States to prove it could enforce its own laws, and Bradford's house is a tangible link to that defining constitutional crisis on the frontier.
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Related people
- ¡ David Bradford
Related events
- ¡ Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Washington County
Washington, PA ¡ est. 1981
Formed in 1781 from Westmoreland County and named for General George Washington, this southwestern county sat at the heart of frontier unrest. From 1791 to 1794 it became a hotbed of the Whiskey Rebellion, when backcountry farmers rose against a federal excise tax on their distilled grain. The county later straddled the National Road, the great highway that carried the nation west and became U.S. Route 40.
Washington
South Strabane Township, PA ¡ est. 1947
Laid out in 1781 by brothers John and William Hoge, the town of Washington rose on ground long known as the Indian Catfish Camp, a Native gathering place in the Ohio Country borderlands. Chartered as a borough in 1810 and a city in 1923, it became a hub on the National Road â the young republic's great westward artery â and filled with the fine buildings of a thriving crossroads. Its name honored George Washington, whose reputation as a surveyor and soldier had already touched this frontier region.
Washington
East Washington, PA ¡ est. 1947
The Hoge brothers laid out Washington in 1781 on the site of the Indian Catfish Camp, and the settlement matured into a borough in 1810 and a city in 1923. Positioned on the National Road, it thrived as a stopping point for the wagons and travelers pouring west across the Alleghenies. The town took its name from George Washington and preserved a wealth of early buildings from its crossroads heyday.
Washington
North Franklin Township, PA ¡ est. 1947
Founded in 1781 by John and William Hoge on the site of the Native Catfish Camp, Washington grew from a frontier plat into a borough (1810) and later a city (1923). Its fortunes were tied to the National Road, the federally built highway that funneled settlers and commerce westward through southwestern Pennsylvania. Named for George Washington, the town became rich in historic buildings and associations as traffic streamed past its doors.