On July 9, 1755, Edward Morris, the governor of Shippensburg, ordered that a fort be built after he learned of General Braddock's defeat at the hands of the French and Indians. His intent was to provide protection for the troops and colonists during the French and Indian War. Over the next year, several buildings, a well, and a log palisade were built. Fort Morris was garrisoned until the early 1760s but preserved for several more years due to the efforts of Edward Shippen. There is also a record that an officer and eighteen provincial troops were stationed in Shippensburg during the winter of 1763-1764. On March 24, 1761, Shippen wrote, "I desire everybody in Shippensburg to take care of ye Fort for I will suffer a log of it to be thrown down on any pretense whatever."