Frankstown
Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The site, prior to 1748, of a Delaware-Shawnee village called Assunepachla. Here the trader, Frank Stevens, had a fur post as early as 1734. The Kittanning Path led through here.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Long before European towns rose here, this was the site of Assunepachla, a Delaware and Shawnee village standing before 1748. By 1734 the trader Frank Stevens had established a fur post at the spot, drawing on the Indian trade that laced the region. The Kittanning Path, a major Indian route across the Allegheny ridges, ran through here, making Frankstown a crossroads of trade and travel.
Why it matters
Frankstown captures the meeting of Native villages, colonial traders, and the ancient footpaths that shaped the movement of peoples and goods across the Pennsylvania frontier.
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Related people
- · Frank Stevens
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Frankstown Path
Morris Township, PA · est. 1949
Long before roads followed these valleys, Native travelers laid out the Frankstown Path, a major overland route threading the ridges of central Pennsylvania along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River. Where it met the older Warriors Path near Water Street, the very bed of the river served as a natural gateway through Tussey Mountain. These trails were the interstate highways of their day, carrying people, goods, and diplomacy across the Appalachian barrier.
Hart's Log
Porter Township, PA · est. 1946
Long before roads crossed these ridges, the Frankstown Path carried Native travelers and colonial traders through the region, passing the spot that became Hart's Log. The name came from a hollow log that the trader John Hart used between 1744 and 1755 as a feeding trough for his pack horses. The little settlement grew from that humble waypoint into the town later called Hartslog, and eventually Alexandria.
Indian Paths
Rush Township, PA · est. 1972
Long before roads and railways, the Pennsylvania interior was laced with Native American footpaths that carried people, goods, and war parties across the mountains. Near this point the Warriors Mark Path crossed the Bald Eagle Path before running north to meet the Great Shamokin Path near Chinklacamoose, today's Clearfield. These trails formed an intricate overland network linking the Cumberland region of Maryland to the heart of the Pennsylvania wilds.
"Shadow of Death"
Cromwell Township, PA · est. 1947
In the mid-18th century, the Frankstown Path was a vital Native American trading route threading through the Pennsylvania wilderness, traveled by colonial agents like Conrad Weiser on missions of diplomacy and commerce. For reasons now lost to history, Weiser and fellow travelers gave this particular spot the ominous name 'Shadow of Death.' The marker candidly admits the local origin of the name is unknown—a rare and honest acknowledgment of history's gaps.