Fort Hyndshaw was a fort in

Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania Middle Smithfield Township is a township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,014 at the 2020 census. History The Cold Spring Farm Springhouse, John Michael Farm, Schoonover Mountain H ...

, built in 1755 and 1756 during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

The need for fortifications

In response to an increasing number of attacks in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

by French troops in the western part of the state and by Indian hostilities close to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, the

Pennsylvania Legislature The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

placed

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and James Hamilton in charge to erect a chain of forts along the Blue Mountain in the

Minisink The Minisink or (more recently) Minisink Valley is a loosely defined geographic region of the Upper Delaware River valley in northwestern New Jersey (Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex and Warren County, New Jersey, Warren counties), northeastern P ...

region . Franklin, via a letter dated January 12, 1756 to Captain James Van Etten, ordered him to "proceed immediately to raise a Company of Foot, consisting of 30 able Men, including two Serjeants, with which you are to protect the Inhabitants of Upper Smithfield assisting them while they thresh out and secure their Corn, and scouting from time to time as you judge necessary on the Outside of the Settlements."

Origin of the name

The Fort was named after Lieutenant James Hyndshaw (1720-1770), who was born in

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

and was married to Maria Dupui/Dupuy, a niece of Nicholas Dupuy, one of the earliest European settlers of Monroe County, whose home became

Fort Dupuy Fort Depuy, located in Shawnee on Delaware, is a village in Smithfield Township. It was one of many forts in Colonial Pennsylvania built in 1755 and 1756 during the French and Indian War. The need for fortifications. In response to an increas ...

during the

around the same time as Fort Hyndshaw.Depuy: The peaceful homestead that became a fort. ''Pocono Record'', October 14, 2012. http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121014/FEATURES/210140312 Accessed March 4, 2014 Hyndshaw was second in command to Van Etten.

Structure and history

A 70-foot square blockade was built around Hyndshaw's home. The Fort was active for a little over a year, at which point it was apparently abandoned. Since the fort was made of wood, it deteriorated over time.One of Monroe's 'forgotten' forts gets marked. ''Pocono Record'', June 22, 2003. In 2003 a replacement historical marker was erected 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 ...

References

External links

Pennsylvania Archives, Volume 3The Poconos: An Illustrated Natural History Guide
By Carl S. Oplinger *Mary H. Overfield France-Rice
Overfield History
*Robert Mack Wallace
Ebenezer! Or, Memorial Discourse, Commemorative of the Founding and Progress of the First Presbyterian Church of Stroudsburg, Pa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyndshaw, Fort French and Indian War forts Forts in Pennsylvania Colonial forts in Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin History of Monroe County, Pennsylvania Infrastructure completed in 1756 1756 establishments in Pennsylvania