Fort McCord (Franklin County, Pennsylvania)

Franklin County · Pennsylvania · French and Indian War

History & Significance

William McCord built this private frontier fort in early 1756 near Kittatinny Mountain, northwest of present-day Chambersburg. The structure consisted of a stockade surrounding farm buildings with a fortified blockhouse featuring firing loopholes.

On April 1, 1756, Delaware (Lenape) warriors under the command of either Captain Jacobs or Shingas attacked, killed Lowry's husband and set the blockhouse on fire, forcing women and children inside to surrender. Approximately 27 settlers were captured and marched toward Kittanning, the Lenape staging area.

Three companies of militia under Captains Hance Hamilton, William Chambers, and Alexander Culbertson pursued them; Culbertson's force ambushed the Lenape party at Sideling Hill three days later in a two-hour engagement with heavy casualties on both sides, but colonial forces were driven off when reinforcements arrived and Culbertson was killed. The battle was significant as the first Pennsylvania militia engagement after General Braddock's defeat.

In September 1756, Colonel John Armstrong attacked the Lenape village of Kittanning, freeing some prisoners including female members of the McCord family. The 1914 Fort McCord historical marker marks the 1756 location of a violent confrontation between the largely Scots-Irish settlers and Native Americans.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sideling_Hill
• https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=84012
• https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=84011
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_forts_in_the_French_and_Indian_War
• https://pahistoricpreservation.com/franklin-county-and-its-preservation-firsts/
• https://www.explorefranklincountypa.com/forts-of-franklin-county/

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