Rev. Steel's Fort
Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The Rev. John Steel, pastor of Upper West Conococheague, was made militia captain; and his church, stockaded in 1755, provided protection from hostile Indians. The site is at Church Hill.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On the mid-1750s frontier, the line between pulpit and battlement often blurred. The Reverend John Steel, pastor of the Upper West Conococheague congregation, was commissioned a militia captain, and his church at Church Hill was stockaded in 1755 to shield the community from raids during the French and Indian War. A house of worship thus doubled as a fortress in the war's most dangerous years.
Why it matters
Reverend Steel's fortified church embodies how frontier clergy led their flocks in both faith and defense, a striking image of colonial Pennsylvania's wartime resilience.
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Related people
- · John Steel
Related events
- · French and Indian War
Themes & tags
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