So today's blog post took a weird turn as I was collecting my sources. As I was searching for information online as I do every week, I came across a YouTube video from nearly a year ago, part of a series related to the PHMC markers. "Cool," I thought, "I can watch this and see what the Hometown Historian has to say about Reed's Fort!" And so I started to do exactly that, and then I got about two minutes into the video and had to stop because I was completely gobsmacked.
I have the video linked down below, so you can see it for yourself, but the long and short of it is that the good Hometown Historian talks about this blog. This one. The one you are reading right now. He couldn't remember what it was called, but given that my work is extremely niche I think it's fair to say that there's no other blog it could have been. He had some very nice things to say about it and I'm extremely flattered, so thank you, sir! We're corresponding and will possibly be collaborating on something in the future.
Researching this one has been a wee bit tricky, because Reed's Fort and Fort Reed are two completely different places. They both have markers, so we'll get to Fort Reed whenever I finally make my way to Clinton County. Today, we're looking at Reed's Fort.
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| The marker stands on Allentown Boulevard (US 22), between the intersections with Reeds Creek Road and Indiantown Gap Road |
Fortunately, thanks to the Lebanon County Historical Society's publications, it wasn't too hard to learn about the man who lived in the fort. Adam Reed was an Irish immigrant, born in Ulster County in 1703. He came to Pennsylvania in or about 1725, settling in what was then part of Lancaster County near the Swatara Creek; his property was located where the Swatara makes a sharp bend, and the smaller runoff called Reed's Creek was named for him. Adam served as a Justice of the Peace for the crown; he was also an elder in the Hanover Presbyterian Church, which - like the fort - no longer exists, but because of the way Lancaster County was subdivided, it stood in what is now Dauphin County. Its cemetery survives, however, and the church has a marker of its own, so I'll talk more about that in a future post.
Anyway, back to Adam. Records show that he acquired a warranted deed for a tract of 200 acres of land on March 1, 1739. There he built a stone house, both to be a family home and also to provide a sanctuary for his neighbors in the event of attack from Native Americans or other dangers. This turned out to be a smart move, because in 1754, the French and Indian War started, and as part of the hostilities between France and Great Britain, the French prodded the Natives to attack settlers. As I've noted in other posts about the provincial forts, the Province of Pennsylvania was hardly prepared for such a thing, and it took a little time for the defenses to be created.
On October 16, 1755, an attack occurred at Penn's Creek, in what is today Snyder County. Native Americans attacked a large group of settlers, and 26 people were either killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. (This event also has its own marker - two of them, actually - so it will get its own post too.) One man was able to escape, wounded but alive, and brought news of the incident. Rev. John Elder, whom my longtime readers might remember from my post about Derry Church in Hershey, wrote to Adam Reed to inform him of the attack, and Adam in turn sent word to Conrad Weiser. Weiser is a significant figure of the time period and I'll be taking a trip to his homestead, possibly in the spring, so I can tell you more about him later.
Several days after the attack, on October 27th, Adam welcomed a group of men sent by Weiser. They consulted with him about the details, and he related that a group of men who had gone to avenge the deaths at Penn's Creek were themselves killed. Although Weiser's men returned to defend their own homes and families, the Provincial government directed Adam to form a company of local settlers to provide defense; he was given the rank of captain and was placed in charge of the hastily formed company, which was headquartered at his well-protected home. In November, Adam took his men across the mountain to where a settlement had been abandoned in the wake of another attack. They rescued a large supply of food and other goods that the escaping settlers couldn't carry, and brought it to where they had resettled on the south side of the mountain. This act earned Adam a great deal of respect and appreciation from his neighbors.
Adam continued to lead his company until January 1756, at which time he was directed to turn over his men and supplies to Captain Smith at Fort Swatara. He remained active in the defense of his people, however, and frequently wrote to Edward Shippen and other significant persons in the city of Lancaster to request that they send aid to the settlers. The French and Indian War finally ended in 1763, allowing him to enjoy a few years of peace - possibly in the company of his grandchildren. He and his wife Mary had two daughters, Mary and Eleanor; daughter Mary married John Harris, later the founder of Harrisburg, and Eleanor married Robert White of Cumberland County.
Adam died on February 2, 1769; his wife followed him in 1783. They're buried in the old cemetery of the Hanover Presbyterian Church, although I can't find an indication on FindAGrave.com of their graves' location. Maybe I can find them when I pay a visit to the cemetery myself. The home where their neighbors sought refuge and safety is long gone, though the land continues to be farmed to this day. The cars rush by on Route 22, oblivious to the bloodshed which once dominated the scenery.
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
This is fantastic. Really learned a lot more about the home and the man. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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