McAlevy's Fort
Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A frontier blockhouse was erected near this site in 1778 by Col. William McAlevy, pioneer settler and Revolutionary War officer. It was a refuge point for early settlers. The village was founded by entrepreneur Robert McBurney in the 1840s. He actively developed the village in the decades that followed. Several 19th century ironworks and mills in the vicinity contributed to its growth.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1778, as the Revolution reached the Pennsylvania frontier, Col. William McAlevy — a pioneer settler and Revolutionary War officer — raised a blockhouse near this spot to shelter early settlers from raids. Decades later, in the 1840s, the entrepreneur Robert McBurney founded a village here and spent the following years developing it. Nearby 19th-century ironworks and mills fueled the community's growth, layering an industrial chapter atop its frontier origins.
Why it matters
McAlevy's Fort traces the arc of the Pennsylvania interior — from a Revolutionary-era refuge on the edge of settlement to a working mill and ironworks village of the industrializing 1800s.
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Related people
- · William McAlevy
- · Robert McBurney
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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