The Purchase Line is the name commonly given to the line dividing Indian from British Colonial lands established in the

Treaty of Fort Stanwix The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was a treaty signed between representatives from the Iroquois and Great Britain (accompanied by negotiators from New Jersey, Virginia and Pennsylvania) in 1768 at Fort Stanwix. It was negotiated between Sir William J ...

of 1768 in western

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, ...

. In

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

documents it is referred to as the Line of Property; see that article for the treaty text and other sections. The relevant section of the treaty reads: * "from thence" ( Kittanning) "a direct Line to the nearest Fork of the west branch of Susquehanna" This line was not clearly defined until in a meeting between Indian and Pennsylvania representatives in 1773 at the well-known "Canoe Place" or upper limit of canoe navigation on the Susquehanna at its confluence with Cush Cushion Creek at present-day

Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania Cherry Tree is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 276 at the 2020 census. History Cherry Tree was originally known as "Canoe Place" because its location marked the spot where the West Branch of the Susqu ...

. This was agreed to as the "nearest point" of the treaty. This became the tri-point between present-day Clearfield,

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, a ...

, and

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

counties, although the borough of

was later included entirely in

for convenience. The line is still a boundary through most of its length: in Armstrong County running ESE from Kittanning it separates the townships of Rayburn and Valley (north) from Manor and Kittanning (south). There is gap through the town of Cowanshannock, but at the knick point of the boundary between Armstrong County and

Indiana County Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...

the line begins again, separating the

townships of South Mahoning, East Mahoning, Grant and Montgomery (north) from Washington, Rayne and Green (south). The hamlet of Purchase Line is on PA 286 in Green township just south of the actual line.

Maps

References

* "The Documentary History of the State of New York", by E.B. O'Callaghan, M.D.; Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1850 (Vol. 1 pp. 379–381 text of treaty)

External links

* Purchase Line, PA is at coordinates * Cherry Tree, PA is at coordinates * Kittanning, PA is at coordinates {{DEFAULTSORT:Purchase Line Pre-statehood history of Pennsylvania Aboriginal title in the United States