Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-15

| there is no positive statement that he put mp al
stone house on the banks of the Allegheny,
| near where Foxburg now stands or that such a
| house existed at That time. Had there been
| such house. he would most probably have
| mentioned the fact, as he makes a note of a
| house at the mouth of French creek from
| which the French had expelled John Frazier
| an English subject.
| Tradition as reported in THE DISPATCH
does not state definitely whether it was on the
trip North or on the return that Washington
pur up at this now historic house; but in either
| case it must have been a long way out of his
| route, whether We take line from Logsrowu
| to Venango. or follow that marked on the map
| in Sabin's reprint of the Journal now before
me- There is nothing in the journal" to show
that he stopped there, is there any sufficient
| reason why he should have done SO.
No Loopholes In the Walls.
II the house itself is examined it affords nc
evidence that it was built at that early day
Then houses were almost always of wood; but
Of whatever material they were invariably
pierced with loopholes. so that the inmates
could, in case of an attack, defend themselves
against the Indians; for neither the French
NOR the colonists could place much reliance on
their attachment, as the numerous raids on
the settlements, even more than 30 years after
that time, attest If the house was erected at
SO early day. or within 40 years after, it must
have been greatly remodeled; for it would not
have been possible to have defended house
with windows from an Indian attack
The redoubt at the Point, Pittsburg, though
built under the shadow of the strongest fort on
the frontier. has loopholes to the present daY,
and the windows that are in 1t are offa later.pe-
rtod. But why was the house built at that time
and place at allf 1t is certain that it was not
built Tor settler, and if put up for trader
there is no evidence that sufficient Indians were
there to Justify such expense, especially since
there were traders at Venango and Kittan-
ming, which were not far of, according to In
dian computation of distance; and there is no
evidence that trader was there at that time.
The country west of the Allegheny river was
not purchased from the Indians till 1884 and
was not opened for settlers till several years
later. The house ami the circumstances do not
vindicate for it such antiquity as it claims.
All the Authorities Silent
II documentary evidence is sought, there is
nothing about the stone house to be found in
either Ceioron or Bonnecamps' journals of
their expedition down the river four years be.
fore Washington visited the French. nothing
in Washington's journal, where, most of all it
was to be expected; nothing in the Dinwiddie
papers, containing much correspondence be-
tween Washington and the Governor of VIr-
ginia; nothing in the four volumes of "Collec-
tion de Manuscrits Nouyelle-France." which
cover the whole period of the French occupa-
tlon OF the upper part of North America; moth
ing in all Mr.. Parkman's writings on frontier
history; Dothing in the account of Colonel
Broadhead's expedition up the Allegheny. in
l7I9: nothing in Major Denny's Military Jour
nal, which contains an account of his trip up
the same river seven years later-all of which
writings l have now before me; nothing, in
hne, In any document have ever seen relating
to our frontier history in the last century.
But the question remains; There is tho ira
mtion-how account for 1t? 1t were a big job
to account for the traditions found in any his
tory, when we approach the line that divides
the written from the oral. Twelve cities claim
the honor OF having been the birthplace of
Homer. three claim Columbus, and SO of count
less others. Herewe have an old house, no one
knows the date of its erectlon-George Wash
1ngton was sent to the French at VenAngo, and
on account of the swamps he had to 60 out of
his way. as he says, ten miles or more. Now, if
that house were In existence. he might have
gone down to the river to avoid swamps, and he
might have stopped in that house, which
might have been built before that time, and 1t
might have been on his way N orth. or il might
have been on his way South; and IL is certainly
matter of pardonable vanity to point out the
house to tourists or fishing clubs, just as-by
the way-some Welsh fishermen have very op-
portunely found a manuscript which Columbus
lost four centuries ago.
Where the Tradition Came From.
Who handed down this tradition1 Not WASH
ington. for it is nowhere recorded either in the
IL volumes of his writings or in the several
lives Of him, some of which have; and. be-
sides, the tradition is local; not in documents
relating to the French occupation, for have
them carefully. nor in their oral ira
ditions, for when they were expelled they went
all, and once for all; not by the English, for
none of them were there in time to attest or to
transmit the date of the erection of the house
Or of WashiDgtons having enjoyed the hos
ptalIty of its sheltering roof. AS to the In
1ians. besides being rowing people, and nearly
all driven away before the colouists came into
possession of the territery west of the Allie
gheny, especially that part go far north. their
evidence as to dates is not very reliable. And