Fort Allen (also known as "Truby's Blockhouse") was a military structure which was built in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

by Colonel Christopher Truby of Pennsylvania's colonial militia. Erected in 1774 in response to a threatened attack by Indians upon German pioneers who had settled in the area, it became a frontier fort of

Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War—or Dunmore's War—was a 1774 conflict between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations. The Governor of Virginia during the conflict was John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore—Lord Dunmore. He a ...

in 1774, and also was used as a fort during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

in which Truby also served as an officer with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

History

Following a series of attacks during the 1750s by Indians on German pioneers and other immigrants who had begun relocating to, and settling in, various parts of Pennsylvania, including west of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, colonial government leaders began receiving petitions from hundreds of those settlers for protection. In response, the Province of Pennsylvania spent eighty-five thousand pounds to erect a chain of blockhouses and forts along the Kittanning Hills from the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

to the province's border with Maryland. Those military installations were then manned with between 20 and 75 members of the provincial militia. With respect to Westmoreland County settlers who desired greater protection, those petitioning the colonial government from Hempfield Township were:

"Wendel Oury, Christopher Trubee ic Frantz Raupp, Nicholas Scheuer, John Lafferty, John Bendeary, Conrad Houck, James Waterms, John Redeck, Adam George, Nicholas Allimang, Adam Uhreg, Stefel Urich, John Golden, Peter Urich, Martin Hunts, Michael Konel, Henrich Kleyn, Conrad Hister, Hans Gunckee, Peter Kasner, Peter Uber, John Kransher, Henrich Schmit, Jacob Schmit, Jacob Kuemel, John Moffey, Adam Bricker, Peter Wannemacher, Philip Klingelschmit, Peter Klingelschmit, Peter Altman, Andoni Altman, Joseph Pankkek, Brent Reis, Baltzer Moyer, Jacob Hauser, Peter Altman, Christian Baum, George Crier, Peter Rosch, Joseph Kutz, Adam Meire, Daniel Wilers, Thomas Williams, Michel Hatz, George Mondorf, William Hanson, William Altman, Marx Breinig, Johannes Breinig, Samuel Lewisch, Andeny Walter, Jacob Welcker, George Bender, Nicholas Junt, Michel Hann, David Marschal, Heinrich Sil, Richard Archbold, Conrad Linck, Friedrich Marschal, Hannes Breynig, Kasper Mickendorf, Jacob Schraber, Daniel Matiss, Heinrich Schram, Peter Schelhammer, Jacob Meylin, Dewalt Macklin, Hannes Kostwicz, Jacob Schram, Lutwig Aterman, Hans Sil, Jacob Stroh, Christopher Herolt, Gerhart Tames.

In response, Colonel Christopher Truby (in one source, spelled "Trubee") of Pennsylvania's colonial militia erected Fort Allen in Hempstead Township, Westmoreland County in 1774. It is believed that this fort was named for Andrew Allen of the state's then governing body, the Supreme Executive Council. Following its construction, Truby assumed command of the installation. Also known as "Truby's Blockhouse," Fort Allen subsequently became a frontier fort for Dunmore's War in 1774 and then the Revolutionary War. In modern times, the area surrounding the site of the fort has grown into an expansive neighborhood of Hempfield Township, with streets named after various Native American

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...

. Fort Allen Elementary School, built in 1952 and part of the Hempfield Area School District, was also named after the fort.

Monuments and markers

A stone monument commemorating Fort Allen, which was erected on May 1, 1929, is located on the grounds of St. John's Harrold United Church of Christ at the corner of St. John's Church Road and Baltzer Meyer Pike (roughly 150 yards north of where the fort was located). A roadside marker erected on December 12, 1946 by the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for ...

at the intersection of Route 136 and Baltzer Meyer Pike reads:"Fort Allen" and "Fort Allen Plaque," in "Pennsylvania Historical Marker Search," Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

"Frontier post built by Pennsylvania German pioneers of the Harrold's and Brush Creek settlements in 1774. It was a refuge from Indians in Dunmore's War and the American Revolution. The site was a little to the south."

References

External links

*
Fort Allen Plaque
" in "Pennsylvania Historical Markers." Waymarking.com, retrieved online September 7, 2019.
Grave of Col. Christopher Truby
(online memorial with text and images). Salt Lake City, Utah: Find a Grave, retrieved online September 7, 2019. {{coord, 40.27905, -79.59163, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title Infrastructure completed in 1774

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...

Buildings and structures in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania