Fort Loudon - PLAQUE
Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
...erected by Col. John Armstrong in the winter of 1756, at the order of the province of Pennsylvania, was situated a miles southeast of this spot. The fort was built for the protection of the frontiers against the Indians and took the place of the fort at McDowell's Mill, which was situated at Bridgeport. Fort Loudon was the scene of many thrilling events during the expedition of Gen. John Forbes, in 1758, and that of Col. Henry Bouquet, n 1763-4, this fort was used as a rendezvous for troops and as a base of supplies. It was the scene of the exploits of Capt. James Smith and his "Black Boys" in 1765. Before the building of the state road to Pittsburgh, it was the point of departure of great trains of pack-horses, laden with goods for the west and south.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Fort Loudon was built by Colonel John Armstrong in the winter of 1756 to guard the Pennsylvania frontier during the French and Indian War, replacing the earlier post at McDowell's Mill. It became a key staging point for the campaigns of General John Forbes in 1758 and Colonel Henry Bouquet in 1763–64, and the base from which pack-horse trains set out for the west. In 1765 it was the scene of the defiant exploits of Captain James Smith and his 'Black Boys,' frontiersmen who resisted the arms trade with hostile tribes.
Why it matters
As both a wartime garrison and a departure point for the great pack trains, Fort Loudon stood at the crossroads of frontier defense and the westward push toward the Ohio country and Pittsburgh.
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Related people
- · John Armstrong
- · John Forbes
- · Henry Bouquet
- · James Smith
Related events
- · Forbes Expedition
- · Bouquet's Expedition
- · Black Boys Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Joseph Armstrong
St. Thomas Township, PA · est. 1960
Joseph Armstrong settled this Franklin County land in the 1730s, on the contested edge of Pennsylvania's frontier. He served in the colonial Assembly and rose as a militia captain, and his home became a ranging station in 1757 for troops during the French and Indian War. It served the same purpose during Pontiac's War of 1763–64, when Native resistance again swept the backcountry.
Bedford Village
Bedford Township, PA · est. 1947
Founded around 1750 as Raystown, this frontier settlement guarded the wilderness gateway to the Ohio country. In 1758 the British raised Fort Bedford here and used it as a staging base for the Forbes and Bouquet expeditions that drove the French from the forks of the Ohio during the French and Indian War. A generation later, in 1794, President Washington reviewed his militia army here on the march against the Whiskey Rebellion.
Bedford Village
Bedford, PA · est. 1947
Founded around 1750 as Raystown, this frontier settlement guarded the wilderness gateway to the Ohio country. In 1758 the British raised Fort Bedford here and used it as a staging base for the Forbes and Bouquet expeditions that drove the French from the forks of the Ohio during the French and Indian War. A generation later, in 1794, President Washington reviewed his militia army here on the march against the Whiskey Rebellion.
Bedford Village
Bedford Township, PA · est. 1947
Founded around 1750 as Raystown, this frontier settlement guarded the wilderness gateway to the Ohio country. In 1758 the British raised Fort Bedford here and used it as a staging base for the Forbes and Bouquet expeditions that drove the French from the forks of the Ohio during the French and Indian War. A generation later, in 1794, President Washington reviewed his militia army here on the march against the Whiskey Rebellion.