Fort Hunter (Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania)
Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County · Pennsylvania · French and Indian War
History & Significance
Located near the confluence of Fishing Creek and the Susquehanna River in present-day Dauphin County, Fort Hunter was initially a stockaded gristmill owned by Samuel Hunter on the Great Valley, about six miles north of Harris' Ferry. Following the Penn's Creek massacre in October 1755 and subsequent raids on settlements in central Pennsylvania, the colonial government took action to fortify the region.
In March 1756, Benjamin Franklin commissioned Colonel William Clapham to construct forts in a defensive line, and on April 7, Governor Morris ordered Clapham to march to Hunter's Mill to begin construction, with McKee handing over command of the fort by May 11. Clapham built Fort Hunter about 500 yards east of the mill near the Susquehanna River for monitoring river traffic, and the fort probably consisted of a blockhouse surrounded by a stockade and a defensive ditch.
In March 1757, officials considered demolishing the fort to strengthen Fort Augusta, but settlers protested, and the decision was reversed; Fort Halifax was demolished instead, with its garrison transferred to Fort Hunter. Following the 1758 Treaty of Easton, the garrison was transferred and the fort was used only for storage until 1763. The site was later developed into a frontier settlement and eventually a gentleman's estate, becoming a museum of American History when preserved by Margaret Wister Meigs in 1933 and donated to Dauphin County by her four children in 1980.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- 1755 blockhouse and stockade defensive structure
- Susquehanna River and Fishing Creek setting
- French and Indian War military outpost history
- Historic mansion and grounds
- Frontier settler shelter during colonial conflicts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hunter,_Pennsylvania
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_forts_in_the_French_and_Indian_War
- https://forthunter.org/
- https://www.dauphincounty.gov/government/support-services/parks-recreation/parks/fort-hunter
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=85934
- https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/archaeology/phmc/fort-hunter.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hunter_Historic_District
Other Forts in Pennsylvania
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