Burnt Cabins Historic District

About this property

Burnt Cabins is a historic unincorporated community in Dublin Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the foot of Tuscarora Mountain. It is approximately three miles west of the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel on I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) and the turnpike runs within 100 yards of the village. U.S. Route 522 also runs through the village. The land was occupied by Native American tribes until 1758, and permanent European colonization did not start until 1763, after the French and Indian War. Nevertheless, by 1750, a hamlet known as Sidneyville had grown to 11 squatters cabins. The homes of these early settlers were burned by order of the provincial government to maintain the peace and to demonstrate to Native Americans that their ownership would be respected. Participants in the burning included Conrad Weiser, Richard Peters, George Croghan, and Benjamin Chambers. The next day, being the 24th of May, Mr. Weiser and Mr. Galbreth, with the Under-Sheriff and myself, on our Way to the Mouth of the Juniata, called at Andrew Lycon's, with Intent only to inform him, that his Neighbours were bound for his Appearance and immediate Removal, and to caution him not to bring himself or them into Trouble by Refusal: But he presented a loaded Gun to the Magistrates and Sheriff, said, he would shoot the first Man that dared to come nigher. On this, he was disarmed, convicted, and committed to the Custody of the Sheriff. This whole Transaction happened in the Sight of a Tribe of Indians, who by Accident had in the Night-time fixed their Tent on that Plantation; and Lycon's Behaviour giving them great Offence, the Shickcalamies [sons of Shickellamy in Peters" party] insisted on our burning the Cabbin, or they would burn it themselves; Whereupon, when every Thing was taken out of it (Andrew Lycon, all the while assisting) and Possession being delivered to me, the empty Cabbin was set on Fire by the Under-Sheriff, and then Lycon was carried to Goal [Jail]. The area developed as a linear village along eighteenth century roads that led from Philadelphia across the Tuscarora and Allegheny Mountains to Pittsburgh. Burnt Cabins first developed along a pack horse trail that generally followed an earlier Indian trail. In 1755 the Forbes Road expanded the trail to get British troops and supplies in place to take Fort Duquesne. In 1771 the Three Mountains Road was opened to connect Burnt Cabins more directly to Shippensburg. However, by 1815 the Chambersburg and Ft. Bedford Turnpike was opened, bypassing both Burnt Cabins and Shippensburg from the most direct route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Surprisingly, Burnt Cabins benefited by being bypassed by the turnpike, as the county population grew and drovers used the older, free roads to take their cattle to market.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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