Fort Augusta (Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania)
Sunbury, Northumberland County · Pennsylvania · French and Indian War, American Revolutionary War
History & Significance
Built by Colonel William Clapham in 1756 on the site of the Lenape village of Shamokin in what is now Sunbury, the fort was completed in 1757 under Colonel James Burd. In 1756, several hundred French and Indian troops traveled the Great Shamokin Path in an effort to destroy the fort; this force, gathered from French posts at Duquesne, Kittanning, Venango, and Le Boeuf, assembled at Anderson Creek and built boats for a Susquehanna River passage, but after reconnoitering and dragging two small brass cannons, found the distance too great to mount an effective assault and abandoned the attack.
The garrison numbered sixteen officers and 337 men with twelve cannons and two swivel guns, serving as a base for the Third Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot, known as the Augusta Regiment. During the American Revolutionary War, Fort Augusta became the headquarters of the military department of the upper Susquehanna, 1778–1780.
After the Wyoming Massacre in 1778, people on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River came into the fort for protection under Colonel Samuel Hunter, the commandant from 1775 until his death in 1784. The fort was abandoned in 1780 and dismantled in 1796. In 1930 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the land on which the well and powder magazine are located and in 1931 acquired the larger tract, including the Hunter House, forming the Fort Augusta property now owned and used as headquarters of the Northumberland County Historical Society.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Massive earthen and wooden fortifications dating to 1756
- Exhibits and artifacts from French and Indian War and Revolutionary War
- Located on site of former Lenape village of Shamokin
- Hunter House Museum operated by Northumberland County Historical Society
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Augusta
- https://colonialwarspa.org/fort-augusta-1756/
- https://www.northumberlandcountyhistoricalsociety.org/area-history/fort-augusta-hunter-house
- https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Fort_Augusta
- https://www.fortaugustadar.org/about-1-1
- https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/archaeology/historic/military.html
- https://sunburypa.org/visit-sunbury/
- https://www.visitcentralpa.org/blog/post/northumberland-county-historical-highlight/
- https://www.visitcentralpa.org/listing/fort-augusta-museum/797/
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