Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-01-28
FRONTIER FORTS.
A short Account Of Fort Hyndshaw and
Surroundings.

Surroundings.
In 1898 an act was passed autho-
rizing the Governor to appoint five
persons to examine and report to the
Legislature, as to the advisability
of erecting suitable tablets marking
the forts erected as defense
against the Indians by the early
settlers of the Commonwealth,
Pursuant to this Act Governor Pat
tison appointed commissioners who
allotted to each a portion of the
State, and this section was confided
to Henry M. M. Richards of Read
ing. The line of forts between the
Susquehanna and Delaware rivers
was mainly along the Blue Mountain
beginning at Harrisburg, which was
Fort Harris, and extending in a
North Easterly direction to the
Delaware above the Water Gap.
This line practically marked the
limit of actual settlement of the
white men and it was along this
range that the most direful effects
we're felt. The iorts,stood from ten
to fifteen miles apart and we're COM
posed of a stockade of heavy planks
inclosing a space of ground more or
less extensive, on which were built
blockhouses pierced with loopholes
for musketry and occupied as
quarters by the soldiers and refugee
settlers. None were located within
the borders of what is now Pike
county, but one, Fort Hyndshaw,
was so near that some account of it
taken from the report of the COM
mission will interest our resident
readers. 1t was situated on the
bluff to the eastward of where the
Maple Grove House stands in Mon
roe county and about 400 feet dis
tant therefrom, and about mile
from Bushkill, and was about 20
feet square. 1t is not known when
it was built, but it was doubtless
erected by Capt. Van Etten and his
Lieutenant, james Hyndshaw not
long after they took charge of the
vicinity, which was in 1856. Jan. II
in that year Benjamin Franklin is
sued q letter of instructions from
Bethlehem to Capt. Van Etten of
the township of upper Smithfield in
which he directed him 1 to raise a
company of 80 able men to protect
the inhabitants of the township
while threshing, 2 to post the men,
at his own house, 8 at Henshaws,
with sergeant at Fishock, and
at or near Henry Cortrachts, and to
settle signals. 3 every man to
be engaged for one month and
to furnish his own arms and
blankets for which he was to be
allowed a dollar, to furnish the
men with provisions, to keep a
diary of all transactions, to ac-
quaint the men that if any time in
ranging, or when attacked by the
enemy and they kill any forty dol
lars will be allowed and paid for
each scalp of an Indian enemy, z to
take care of the stores, 8 to send ad.
vices or any information of the de-
signs of the enemy, 8 to keep good
order among the men and prevent
drunkenness and immoraiities and
not allow them to injure the in
habitants, 10 to take good cure the
men keep their arms clean and their
powder dry and IL to make up a
monthly muster roll.
The obligation dated the same day
was signed by nearly fifty soldiers
and is rather remarkable docu-
ment. 1t reads 1--WE, the subscrib-
ers, do hereby engage to serve as
soldiers in his majesty's service un-
der the command of Captain John
Van Etten, for the space of one
month, and whoever of us shall get
drunk, desert or prove cowardly in
time of action or disobedient to our
officers, shall forfeit his pay: this
agreement we make in consideration
of being allowed at the rate of six
dollars per month wages, one dollar
for the use of gun and blanket, to
each man who shall furnish himself
with them, and the provisions and
rum mentioned in paper hereunto
annexed.
Continued in next issue.)