Ligonier Valley

By Sally Shirey

Nestled in the hills of western Pennsylvania, the Ligonier Valley has always had an air of mystery about it. The small towns and rolling countryside bear little witness to all that has occurred here. A fort was built but decayed and disappeared before being reconstructed recently. Many people have made significant contributions to the town and beyond, although time has lost many of their stories. The valley became an early industrial center with the growth of lumbering, mining, and iron production until the best resources were spent and these industries dwindled. Using hundreds of rare photographs, author Sally Shirey tells the story of this beautiful, historic area. In Ligonier Valley, readers can see the valley as it stood many years ago. After making the steep descent of Laurel Mountain, many pioneers were content to stay and build their lives in the valley. In 1758, the army of Gen. John Forbes erected Fort Ligonier. John Ramsey laid out the town of Ligonier around a public square called the Diamond. The influx of people, thanks to the Ligonier Valley Rail Road, gave rise to the hospitality industry in the valley. The Hotel Breniser, Ligonier Springs Hotel, and Kissell Springs Hotel were among those that served tourists and residents alike. Idlewild Park, dating from the 1870s, remains one of America's most beautiful amusement parks today. Reconstructed Fort Ligonier has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Mar 14, 2001
• ISBN: 9781439610640

Sally Shirey

Sally Shirey was raised in the Ligonier Valley. A member of the Ligonier Valley Writers, she has served the organization in several capacities, including president. She is a member of the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, and other local, Regional, and national historical groups. Here, she presents the stories and images of this wonderful area in a volume sure to delight residents and visitors for years to come.

Book preview

Bruce.

This aerial shot shows Fort Ligonier, the largest reconstructed French and Indian War stockade in America. (Courtesy Doris Matthews.)

INTRODUCTION

The winds of war were blowing in the mid-18th century as two great forces from Europe vied for possession of what is now western Pennsylvania. Both France and Great Britain understood that whoever controlled the Ohio Valley controlled all the resources of the Mississippi Basin. As settlers moved west in increasing numbers, few could have guessed the role the Ligonier Valley would come to play in determining the course of our nation’s history.

The struggle began with the earliest explorers. French explorer Robert Chevalier de la Salle, in 1682, discovered the Allegheny, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers and claimed all the regions drained by them. Clearly this clashed with England’s claim to all the land bordering on the Atlantic Ocean for a distance of 400 miles, extending from sea to sea.

The French took the strategic Forks of the Ohio (present-day Pittsburgh) and built Fort Duquesne, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to form the Ohio River. Both George Washington and Edward Braddock led ill-fated attempts to evict the French from Fort Duquesne. By 1758, the English had launched a massive campaign to defeat the French by attacking their three largest forts: Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, Ticonderoga in New York, and Duquesne.

The task of capturing Fort Duquesne fell to Gen. John Forbes. His troops included provincials from Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, as well as 1,200 Highlanders from Col. Archibald Montgomery’s regiment and a detachment of Royal Americans. The Royal American regiment was a new corps raised in the colonies. It was a largely Pennsylvania German unit, led by European officers. Lt. Col. Henry Bouquet, an officer of the Royal Americans, became Forbes’s executive officer. With some 6,000 to 7,000 people, including wagoners and camp followers, Forbes knew that there would be no problem taking Fort Duquesne once he reached it. His problem was logistical: how to get through the wilderness safely, supplying food, supplies, and munitions along the way.

Forbes was certain that the key to success was establishing a line of fortified supply posts to support the expedition. These posts were located about 40 miles apart, near enough to allow the expedition to move forward or back or to wait out bad weather before moving on. The camp at Loyalhanning (named Fort Ligonier) would become the base for the final assault on Fort Duquesne.

After it was determined that the most expedient route from Raystown (now Bedford) to Fort Duquesne was across the Allegheny Mountains, construction of a military road was begun. Col. James Burd and his men set out to cut and grade the road. This meant moving boulders, building embankments where needed, and slogging through the tangled swamps and forests.

Winter came early in late 1758. The cold fall rain turned to snow, and the roads turned to mud bogs. Snows dusted both Laurel and Chestnut Ridges. Forbes arrived at Ligonier in early November and was prepared to wait until spring to attack Fort Duquesne. However, a bit of good news encouraged him to proceed: the French forces at Fort Duquesne were shorthanded and their Native American allies had left to prepare for winter. When Forbes mounted his assault on Fort Duquesne, the French forces abandoned the fort, setting it on fire. The British took control of the site and rebuilt the fort, naming it in honor of Prime Minister William Pitt.

The Forbes campaign was successful on several levels and altered the course of American history. The French were defeated and the country was opened to British domination. If the French had been able to maintain control of the Forks of the Ohio, it is conceivable that the colonists might have been French subjects. In addition, transportation passageways were improved in Pennsylvania and the country was opened up for settlement. The frontier was effectively pushed west to the Ohio River.

After the Forbes campaign, Fort Ligonier remained instrumental in providing protection for settlers in the area. It was a key supply link to Pittsburgh. The fort’s civilian commanders, such as Arthur St. Clair, sought to protect the settlers while working for peace with the Native Americans they