"at the mouth or fork of a stream."The Lenape Talking Dictionary
/ref> , settlement_type = Historic Native American village , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_map1 = Beaver County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Rochester highlighted.svg , mapsize1 = 250px , map_alt1 = , map_caption1 = Former location of Saucunk, present-day site of

Rochester, Pennsylvania Rochester is a borough in central Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 3,480 at the 2020 census. Like many places around Pittsburgh, ...

, image_caption = , nickname = , pushpin_map = Pennsylvania#USA , pushpin_label = Saucunk , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_caption = Former location of Saucunk in Pennsylvania , pushpin_mapsize = , coordinates = , established_title = Founded , established_date = about 1725 , established_title2 = Abandoned , established_date2 = August, 1763 , established_title3 = , established_date3 = , population_total = , population_est = 300-400 , pop_est_as_of = 1758 , subdivision_type = State , subdivision_name = Pennsylvania , subdivision_type1 = Present-day Community , subdivision_name1 =

, subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_name2 = , image_map = , map_caption = , website = Saucunk or Sawcunk (also known as Soh-kon, Sacung, Sankonk, Sackum, or Shingas' Town) was a town established by the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

and

Shawnees The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky an ...

. It was the site of a Catholic mission and was visited by

Conrad Weiser Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a fa ...

Christian Frederick Post Christian Frederick Post (an anglicanization of Christian Friedrich Post) (1710 Polish Prussia - 29 April 1785 Germantown, Pennsylvania) was a missionary of the Moravian Church to the indigenous peoples of the Americas who played a brief but signi ...

and

George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...

. Saucunk was abandoned after the

Battle of Bushy Run The Battle of Bushy Run was fought on August 5–6, 1763, in western Pennsylvania, between a British column under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet and a combined force of Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Huron warriors. This action occurred du ...

in 1763.Chester Hale Sipe, "The Principal Indian Towns of Western Pennsylvania," ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' v. 13, no. 2; April 1, 1930; pp. 104-122
/ref>

Etymology

The name "Saucunk" is a

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

of the Lenape "''pasakunk''", meaning "at the mouth or fork of a stream."Charles Augustus Hanna, ''The Wilderness Trail: Or, The Ventures and Adventures of the Pennsylvania Traders on the Allegheny Path,'' Volume 2, Putnam's sons, 1911
/ref>

Establishment, 1725

Saucunk was established at the mouth of the Beaver Creek by the

and

, possibly as early as 1725, during their westward migration. The settlement extended to the bluff above the Ohio about a mile below the mouth of the Beaver. It was near the site of present-day

Visit by Conrad Weiser, 1748

went to Sauconk when on his mission to the Western Indians in 1748. He says in his Journal under date of August 30: "I went to Beaver Creek, an Indian Town, about 8 miles off (from

Logstown "extensive flats" , settlement_type = Historic Native American village , image_skyline = Image:Logstown1.jpg , imagesize = 220px , image_alt = , image_map1 = Pennsylvania in United States ...

), chiefly Delawares, the rest Mohocks, to have some belts of

wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nort ...

made...We both (Weiser and

Andrew Montour Andrew Montour ( – 1772), also known as Sattelihu, Eghnisara,Hagedorn, 57 and Henry,Montour was also called Henry, possibly due to the similarity of sound with the French ''"Andre".'' was an important mixed Language interpretation, interpr ...

) lodged at this town at

's trading house."Donehoo, George P. ''A History of the Indian Villages and Place Names in Pennsylvania,'' Papamoa Press, 2019.
/ref>

French and Indian War

In 1755 Saucunk was used as a staging area by

Captain Jacobs Tewea, better known by his English name Captain Jacobs, (d. September 8, 1756) was a Lenape chief during the French and Indian War. Jacobs received his English name from a Pennsylvanian settler named Arthur Buchanan, who thought the chief resembled ...

and

Shingas Shingas ( fl. 17401763), was a Lenape chief and warrior who participated in military activities in Ohio Country during the French and Indian War. Allied with the French, Shingas led numerous raids on Anglo-American settlements during the war, for ...

for raids on British colonial settlements.Michael N. McConnell, "Kuskusky Towns and Early Western Pennsylvania Indian History," ''Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,'' 116:33-58
/ref> After the destruction of Kittanning in August, 1756, Shingas and his brother

Pisquetomen Pisquetomen (died ca. 1762)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 ...

led them to move to

Kuskusky "at the falls, by the falls or rapids" unm, kwësh-kwëshelxus-kee "hogs" + -kee (suffix used in place names) "Hogs Town" , settlement_type = Historic Native American village , image_skyline = , imagesize = , ima ...

.Joseph M. Bausman, ''History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania and Its Centennial Celebration,'' vol. 1, New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1904
/ref>

Captives

Marie Le Roy and Barbara Leininger, both age 12, were captured during the Penn's Creek massacre on 16 October 1755. In her account of her captivity, Marie Le Roy reports that in November, 1756 she and Barbara Leininger "accompanied our Indian master to Sackum aucunk where we spent the winter, keeping house for the savages, who were continually on the hunt." Hugh Gibson, 14, was captured in July, 1756, by

Indians, outside Robinson's Fort, near present-day

Southwest Madison Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania Southwest Madison Township is a township in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2020 census. History The Adairs Covered Bridge and Bistline Covered Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...

. His mother and a neighbor were killed by the Indians, and he was brought to Kittanning, where he was adopted by Shingas' brother Pisquetomen."An Account of the Captivity of Hugh Gibson," in Archibald Loudoun, ''A Selection of Some of the Most Interesting Narratives, of Outrages, Committed by the Indians, in Their Wars with the White People,'' A. Loudoun Press, Carlisle, 1811; pp. 181-186
/ref> In the spring of 1757 Gibson and Pisquetomen moved to "Soh’-koon, at the mouth of the Big Beaver," where they lived together with Pisquetomen's Dutch wife for a year, then moved to Muskingum. In March, 1759, Gibson escaped, together with Marie Le Roy and Barbara Leininger and a Scotsman named David Brackenridge, and walked 250 miles to Fort Pitt (then under construction).Timothy Alden, "An Account of the Captivity of Hugh Gibson among the Delaware Indians of the Big Beaver and the Muskingum, from the latter part of July 1756, to the beginning of April, 1759," ''Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society,'' 1837
/ref> Marie Le Roy states that in October 1758, after French and Indian forces were defeated in an attack on the British outpost of

Fort Ligonier Fort Ligonier is a British fortification from the French and Indian War located in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States. The fort served as a staging area for the Forbes Expedition of 1758. During the eight years of its existence as a garrison, F ...

, most of the population of the

towns,

and Saucunk fled to Muskingum. John McCullough was 8 years old when he was captured by Lenape warriors in July, 1756, and brought to "Shenango," (a corruption of Chiningué). In his captivity narrative he reports living there with a Lenape family for two and a half years before moving to "Kseek-he-ooing" (possibly Saucunk) in late 1758. In December, 1764, McCullough was released along with over 200 other captives by order of Colonel

Henry Bouquet Henry Bouquet (born Henri Louis Bouquet; 1719 – 2 September 1765) was a Swiss mercenary who rose to prominence in British service during the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. He is best known for his victory over a Native American ...

Catholic mission, 1757

In July, 1757, Jesuit Father Claude Francis Virot founded a Catholic mission at Saucunk, and was joined for a brief period by Father Pierre Joseph Antonie Rouboud. The Lenape Chief Pakanke, known for his dislike of missionaries, reportedly became jealous of Virot's influence over the community, however, and the Jesuit was forced to leave after

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed a ...

was captured by the British in November, 1758.A. A. Lambing, "Father Virot, A Forgotten Missionary," in ''Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine,'' vol 3, no 1, January 1930. Pittsburgh: Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
/ref> Virot is known as the only Jesuit who ever attempted to found a mission on the upper Ohio River.

Visit by Christian Frederick Post, 1758

Moravian priest

visited Saucunk when on his mission to the Lenape in the summer and autumn of 1758. He found the tribals there hostile towards him due to Post arriving from the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...

, as they believed that the British were planning to take control of Lenape territory. Post writes:Frederick Christian Post, ''The journal of Christian Frederick Post, in his journey from Philadelphia to the Ohio, on a message from the government of Pennsylvania to the Delaware, Shawanese and Mingo Indians settled there, and formerly in alliance with the English.'' Philadelphia, 1867
/ref>

We set out from Kushkushkee for Sankonk. My Company consisted of 25 Horsemen and 15 Foot. We arrived at Sankonk in the Afternoon. The People of the Town were much disturbed at my coming, and received me in a very rough Manner. They surrounded me with drawn Knives in their Hands, in such a Manner that I could hardly get along; running up against me with their Breasts open, as if they wanted some Pretence to kill me. I saw by their Countenances they sought my Death. Their Faces were quite distorted with Rage, and they went so far as to say I should not live long.Reuben Gold Thwaites, ed. "The journal of Christian Frederick Post, in his journey from Philadelphia to the Ohio, on a message from the government of Pennsylvania to the Delaware, Shawanese and Mingo Indians settled there, and formerly in alliance with the English," in ''Early Western Journals 1748-1765,'' Cleveland: Arthur H. Clark, 1904
/ref>

Visit by George Croghan, 1758

The French burned and abandoned

on 26 November and British forces led by John Forbes occupied it the next day. On 27 November, George Croghan and Andrew Montour crossed the Allegheny River and reached Saucunk On the 29th, where they were joined by Christian Frederick Post and Lieutenant John Hays. Croghan's journal states that, "at Beaver Creek aucunkthere is thirty-eight houses, all built by the French for the Indians, some with stone chimneys. When all their men is at home they can Send out One Hundred Warriors."

Meeting with Mercer, 1759

On 7 February 1759, Colonel

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (16 January 1726 – 12 January 1777) was a Scottish-born American military officer and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and Revolutionary War. Born in Pitsligo, Scotland, he studied medicine in his home country ...

received a report from a

Mohican The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, who ...

scout that he had observed "at the Salt Spring above Kaskaskias

a large number of

rench The Rench is a right-hand tributary of the Rhine in the Ortenau (Baden (Land), Central Baden, Germany). It rises on the southern edge of the Northern Black Forest at Kniebis near Bad Griesbach im Schwarzwald. The source farthest from the mouth is ...

troops." Mercer then held an important council with the Delawares at Fort Pitt. At that time, Tamaqua (also known as King Beaver) was living at Saucunk. At this council on February 24, he announced that the Delawares wanted to move in order to avoid any fighting between the French and the British, stating, "The Six Nations and you desire that I would sit down and smoke my pipe at Kuskusky. I tell you this that you may think no ill of my removing from Saucunk to Kuskusky, for it is at the great desire of my brothers, the English, and my uncles, the Six Nations, and there I shall always hear your words." Mercer reportedly replied, "Your Brothers, the English, desire to see you live in Peace and Happiness, either at Saucunk, Kuskusky, or wherever you think proper, and by no means intend to Limit you to one Place or another." In the spring of 1759, the Delawares moved from Saucunk and Kuskuskee to communities on the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River (Shawnee: ') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country o ...

and the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...

in Ohio.

Abandonment, 1763

The town was deserted after the

, August 5 and 6, 1763. When Colonel Henry Bouquet's expedition passed through the place in the autumn of 1764 on its way to the Tuscarawas, the chimneys of the houses which the French had built for the Indians were still standing. In his journal, Bouquet wrote:

October 6: Big Beaver Creek...runs through a rich vale, with a pretty strong current, its banks high, the upland adjoining it very good, the timber tall and young. About a mile below eaver Creek'sconfluence with the Ohio stood formerly a large town, on a steep bank, built by the French, of square logs, with stone chimneys, for some of the Shawanese, Delawares and Mingo Tribes, who abandoned it in the year 1758, when the French deserted Fort Du Quesne. Near the fording of Beaver Creek stood about seven houses, which were deserted and destroyed by the Indians after their defeat at Bushy Run (August 6, 1763) when they forsook all their remaining settlements in this part of the country.

Fort McIntosh

In 1778, British general

Lachlan McIntosh Lachlan McIntosh (March 17, 1725 – February 20, 1806) was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaratio ...

ordered Fort McIntosh to be constructed at the site of the village. The fort became the headquarters for the

Department of the West The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command ( Department) of the United States Army during the 19th century. It oversaw the military affairs in the country west of the Mississippi River to the borders of C ...

. The construction of the fort likely destroyed any evidence of the occupation of the historic Native Americans at this location.Pennsylvania Archaeological Data Synthesis: The Beaver Creek Watershed (Watershed B of the Ohio River Subbasin 20), State Street Bridge Replacement Project, Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania (ER #1999-6092-073)," A.D. Marble & Company, prepared for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, July 2011
/ref>