Nanticoke
Nanticoke, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Named for Nanticoke Indians from Maryland, who settled here about 1750. Adopted in 1753 by the Six Nations, they settled at Chenango, near Binghamton, N.Y. to guard the "Southern Door" of the Confederacy.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
The Nanticoke people, originally of Maryland's Eastern Shore, moved north and settled at this spot on the Susquehanna around 1750 as colonial pressure pushed them from their homeland. In 1753 they were formally adopted by the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and later relocated toward Chenango near Binghamton, New York, to help guard the confederacy's "Southern Door." Their name endures on the town that grew here.
Why it matters
The Nanticoke migration is a window into the forced displacement and complex diplomacy among Native nations during the colonial era, as the powerful Iroquois absorbed refugee peoples along the strategic Susquehanna corridor.
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Related events
- · Adoption by the Six Nations
Themes & tags
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