Stations Upon The Road

Stations Upon The Road. . , After the defeat of General Edward Braddock at the Battle of the Monongahela in July of 1755, (the battle that launched the French and Indian War in North America,) French and Native American forces unleashed a series of raids on the Pennsylvania frontier causing hundreds of settlers to retreat to Carlisle and points east for protection. These raids went virtually unchecked until General John Forbes' army captured Fort Duquesne in November of 1758. After the fall of Fort Duquesne, it was determined that the chain of Forts built by Forbes to protect the frontier had some large gaps when it came to supplying an army on the march. As a result, Col. Henry Bouquet, commander of the Royal Americans, directed that five "stations" be built along the military road later named for Forbes. The cabins were built by a company of the 3rd Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment, under the command of Capt. Nicholas Wetterholt. This building represents one of the cabins that served as a supply station., After the fighting in Pennsylvania subsided, these stations quickly took on the role of 18th century "mini marts" as travelers regularly stopped to exchange supplies, water horses, or get some fresh food. With the outbreak of Pontiac's War in 1763, many of the stations were destroyed when Indian raids swept eastward.,

Each Logg House containing two Rooms, one about 20 feet Square, the other with a Chimney for Serjeants guard: a door and a Padlock to the Store Room , October 12, 1759 , Capt. Lewis Ourry to Col. Henry Bouquet , Carlisle, PA , The Papers of Henry Bouquet VL III