Sunbury in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Shikellamy's Profile

Photographed by Craig Swain, November 28, 2008

1. Shikellamy's Profile Marker

Inscription. If you stand on this spot and look across the Susquehanna River toward the bridge on the right, you can see the face of Chief Shikellamy profiled in the cliff above the opposite shore. Visible are his hairline, forehead and nose. In colonial times, the Iroquois Indians claimed control of this valley by right of conquest. They sent Shikellamy here to serve as their territorial administrator over other tribes living in the region during the mid-1700s. His efforts helped in extending the peace that Pennsylvania founder William Penn established in the 1680s between Native Americans and European settlers. Shikellamy died in 1748 and was buried about a quarter mile north of here. A monument along North Front Street honors his memory and is located near his grave, which is now unmarked.

June 2004
The original viewing Platform was
erected at this location by the Sunbury
Lions Club in 1964.

Erected 2004 by Sunbury Lions Club.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1748.

Location. 40° 52.462′ N, 76° 47.585′ W.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, in Northumberland County. It is at the intersection of North Front Street (State Highway 147) and Julia Street, on the right when traveling south on North Front Street. Located on an overlook pavilion on the flood retaining wall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sunbury PA 17801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region

and in the Susquehanna Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Shikellamy (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Sullivan Expedition (about 700 feet away); Thompson's Rifle Battalion: (about 700 feet away); Fort Augusta (about 700 feet away); a different marker

Photographed by Craig Swain, November 28, 2008

2. Looking Past the Marker at Shikellamy's Profile

also named Shikellamy (approx. ¼ mile away); The Bloody Spring (approx. 0.7 miles away); William Maclay (approx. 0.7 miles away); Beck House (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sunbury.

Also see . . . Shikellamy. A biography of the Oneida chief. (Submitted on December 12, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Photographed by Craig Swain, November 28, 2008

3. See Shikellamy's Profile

A view of the pavilion.

Photographed by Craig Swain, November 28, 2008

4. Shikellamy's Profile

Downstream from the Pavilion at Sunset image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, November 28, 2008

5. Downstream from the Pavilion at Sunset

Postcard by Valentine & Sons, Ltd., circa 1910

6. Shikellimy Profile, Blue Hill, Sunbury, Pa.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,417 times since then and 85 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 12, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6. submitted on October 20, 2015.