Historical Roadside Markers
of
Southwestern Pennsylvania

OFFSITE LINKS

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Founded, 1776, in the Old Stone Manse in South Park, by Rev. John McMillan, pioneer minister and educator.  It is the mother of five nearby churches and has given its name to the community.  In the cemetery, 14 Revolutionary War soldiers from this area are buried.
   

July 9, 1755, Gen. Braddock's British forces en route to capture Fort Duquesne were ambushed and routed by French and Indians within present limits of Braddock and North Braddock, forcing retreat and failure of the expedition.
   

Here were the boatyards of John and Samuel Walker, a major center for building boats for western waters.  A ship launched in 1793 at these yards reached Philadelphia via New Orleans.
   

Inventor of air brake and some 400 other devices.  Developed AC transmission of electric current.  Spent creative years in Pittsburgh and founded the industry which bears his name.
   

Known as Woodville.  Built 1785 by Gen. John Neville; later occupied by his son, Col. Presley Neville.  Refuge of Gen. Neville's family when some Whiskey Rebels burned his home at Bower Hill, July 17, 1794.
   

Gateway to the West and steel center of the world.  Named for William Pitt by Gen. Forbes after the fall of French Fort Duquesne in 1758.  Laid out as a town by John Campbell in 1764.  Incorporated as a city, 1816.
   

BEAVER COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

The first U.S. military post north of the Ohio.  Located on River Road in the area between Bank, Insurance, and Market Streets.  Built in 1778 and scene of Treaty of Fort McIntosh in 1785; also a survey base.
   

Present Beaver perpetuates the name of a Delaware chief and of his village near here.  Its location along the Ohio-Beaver River trails gave it importance in the fur trade.
   

Gen. Anthony Wayne's army camped here Nov. 1792 to April 1793, preparing for the campaign which led to the Battle of Fallen Timbers with the Northwest Indians.
   

One of the large Indian towns on the upper Ohio was located nearby in 1727-58.  Important conferences were held there between the British, French, and Indians in the struggle for the Ohio country.
   

Third and last home, 1825-1905, of the Harmony Society, religious community founded by George Rapp in 1805.  The main buildings are owned and restored as a historic shrine by the State.
   

BUTLER COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

First home of the Harmony Society, founded 1804, by George Rapp and German followers.  In 1814 moved to New Harmony, Indiana, and settled at Economy in present Ambridge, Beaver County, in 1825.
   

John A. Roebling, inventor of steel wire rope and designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, began business at Saxonburg, founded by him in 1832.  His son, Washington A. Roebling, who built the Brooklyn Bridge, was born here in 1837.
   

Founded by Baron Dettmar Basse in 1802.  Named for his daughter Zelie.  On the hill overlooking the town, he built Bassenheim, a palatial wooden "castle," which burned in 1842.
   

CLARION COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Named for Capt. Samuel Brady, famed Indian scout and hero of many legends of western Pennsylvania.  Near here, in 1779, he defeated a band of Senecas and Munsees, and killed Chief Bald Eagle.
   

Just west of this point can be seen the well-preserved interior of cold blast furnace built in 1845.  It was one of numerous iron furnaces operated in Clarion County from about 1829-1867.  The County, then, was often referred to as "The Iron County."
   

FAYETTE COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

MADONNA OF THE TRAIL
N*S*D*A*R MEMORIAL
PIONEER MOTHERS
COVERED WAGON DAYS
   

Once called Redstone Old Fort, its history includes the Ohio Company storehouse.  1754, and Fort Burd, 1759.  It was on the route of Nemacolin's Trail, of Burd's Road, and of the National Road.
   

The bee-hive ovens nearby are typical of the region.  Coke was first made from coal near Connellsville in this type oven about 1840.  Since 1870 use of coke has been vital to steel making.
   

Col. George Washington, on June 29, 1754, began a fort here.  July 4, he surrendered to a superior force of French.  Fort Necessity Park includes the historic area and the reconstructed fort. [webpage]
   

One of the six original toll houses on the Cumberland or National Road.  It was built by the State after the road was turned over to it by the U.S. in 1835.  The road was completed through this section in 1817-18.
   

Founded by Henry Beeson, who built a blockhouse on site of the county jail in 1774.  Uniontown gained importance with the building of the National Road after 1811.
   

GREENE COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Chartered by the State in 1850.  One of the first two colleges in Pennsylvania to grant degrees to women, in 1857.
   

INDIANA COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Designed the first of the modern mixed-flow type of water turbine, thus making an important contribution to American industry.  Began his experiments in 1868 on the water wheel of a sawmill at nearby Armagh.  He died near Smicksburg in 1924.
   

About 1781, Fergus Moorhead, pioneer settler, built a fort near the old stone house 200 yards south, to protect his family and neighbors from hostile Indians.  It was the first permanent settlement in this vicinity.
   

The northern corner of the Indian land purchase based on the Fort Stanwix Treaty was a huge cherry tree at Cano Place, now Cherry Tree village.  This point is now the junction of the Counties of Cambria, Clearfield, and Indiana.
   

SOMERSET COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Windmills for generating electricity
  

Named for Edmund Cartlidge, Indian trader.  A camp located here, on the Raystown Path, provided good grass for the horses of General Forbes' army in 1758.  The site of the redoubt is marked two and a half miles south of here.
    

Archaelogical study of the flat-top hill across the valley revealed two palisaded Indian villages with extensive house and burial remains, all dating from the Discovery Period.
   

Since Indian days this was a major Youghiogheny River crossing place.  In 1754 Washington's Virginians camped here.  Braddock's army marched through here.  The National Road bridged the river at this point in 1818.
   

Leader of North Carolina revolt against the British, he fled under an assumed name in 1771.  Somerset's first settler; lived at Coffee Springs farm some years.  Became a pamphleteer and active in the Whiskey Rebellion.  Died in 1795.
   

One of the six original toll houses on the Cumberland or National Road is on the hill opposite.  Built after the road was turned over to the State in 1835 by the U.S.  Restored and preserved by the D.A.R.
   

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Rock shelter at Meadowcroft Village
near Avella, PA
This world-renowned archaeological site is the oldest and longest continually used human site in North America, with evidence dating back 16,000 years.
   

COL. GEORGE MORGAN
(Pa. 519 south of Morganza)

Here was the home, 1796-1810, of the noted Indian trader and agent.  Site is marked by a monument.  It was here that Morgan was visited by Aaron Burr.  His conspiracy was first made known to Thomas Jefferson by Colonel Morgan.
   

HILL CHURCH - 289
(U.S. 19, 5 miles northeast of Washington, at Hill Church)

Founded 1776 by Rev. John McMillan, who served as its pastor until his death in 1833.  The pioneer Presbyterian church in the region.  Woodrow Wilson's father was once a pastor here.
   

HILL'S TAVERN - 14
(U.S. 40 at Scenery Hill)

This tavern, in continuous operation since 1794 when it was opened by Stephen Hill, is one of the oldest on the National Road.  It was a popular stop for stage coaches and waggoners.
   

NATIONAL ROAD - 2
(U.S. 40 southeast of Washington, near Scenery Hill; U.S. 40, 3.6 miles southwest of Washington; U.S. 40 west of Claysville)

Our first national road; fathered by Albert Gallatin.  Begun in 1811 at Cumberland, Md; completed to Wheeling in 1818.  Toll road under state control, 1835-1905.  Rebuilt, it is present U.S. Route 40.
   

The Century Inn on the National Road in Scenery Hill
From the historical marker in front: HILL'S TAVERN - This tavern, in continuous operation since 1794 when it was opened by Stephen Hill, is one of the oldest on the National Road. It was a popular stop for stage coaches and waggoners.
   

"S" BRIDGE - 7
(U.S. 40, 5 miles southwest of Washington)

This stone bridge was part of the National, or Cumberland Road.  Originated in 1805, it was completed to Wheeling in 1818.  Over it passed countless wagons and stages uniting the East and the growing West.
   

"S" Bridge on the National Road
  

WASHINGTON - 11
(On main highways leading into the city)

Laid out in 1781 by John and William Hoge.  Site of Indian Catfish Camp.  Boro charter, 1810; city, 1923.  National Road center and rich in historic buildings and associations.  Named for George Washington.
   

WESTMORELAND COUNTY

Selected historical markers from the county. Not all of the numbers are shown on the map below.
   

Three miles to the south, at Bushy Run, an army under Col. Henry Bouquet defeated the Indians Aug. 5-6, 1763.  This raised the seige of Fort Pitt and opened the gateway for settlement of the West.  It is now a state park.
   

Built here 1758 as base of Forbes expedition.  Under Col. James Burd withstood a French and Indian attack, Oct. 12, 1758.  Only small fort in West not taken in Pontiac's War, 1763, it made possible Bouquet's rescue of Fort Pitt.
   

The steel and coke magnate was born about one mile from here on Dec. 19, 1849.  Birthplace and Historical House, the Overholt home, are now preserved as a historical museum.
   

St. Vincent Archabbey was the first of Benedictine Institutions in the U.S.  Founded 1846, its College was incorportated in 1870.  From here ten abbeys and colleges in eight states were founded.
   

This Convent and Academy is the oldest institution of the Sisters of Mercy who came from Ireland in 1843.  From here many Sisters have gone to various parts of the United States as nurses and teachers.
    

Map of Historical Markers

Map from the 1952 booklet
 "Guide to the Historical Markers of Pennsylvania"
   
(click thumbnail image to enlarge)

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