Whiskey Point
Monongahela, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The bluff at Main St. and Park Ave. was the site on Aug. 14, 1794, of a meeting of 226 whiskey rebels. Albert Gallatin''s eloquence turned the tide, resulting in peaceful ending of the Whiskey Rebellion and the possibility of civil strife.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On this bluff above the Monongahela in August 1794, hundreds of angry frontier farmers gathered at the height of the Whiskey Rebellion, furious over the new federal excise tax on the whiskey they distilled from surplus grain. Albert Gallatin, a rising western Pennsylvania statesman, used his persuasive gifts to steer the crowd away from armed defiance and toward a peaceful path. The moment helped defuse a crisis that had threatened to become open civil conflict against the young national government.
Why it matters
The Whiskey Rebellion was the first great test of whether the new federal government could enforce its laws, and cooler heads here helped prove the republic could weather internal dissent without bloodshed.
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Related people
- · Albert Gallatin
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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