Shelter from the Storm: History of Vance's Fort

As you travel the modern roads of today, and visit the cities, towns and villages dotting the hills and dales of upper Appalachia, it is hard to ever imagine the area as a vast wilderness laden with dangers lurking behind nearly every tree. This was an area forged by the sweat and blood of a unique breed of pioneer, those who could see the diamond in the rough of this land, knowing that when mined and polished it would bear the fruits of their labors for their families and the countless generations to follow. Moreover, in order to fire up their tireless forging of the wilderness the pioneers needed a hearth and smithy to commence the work, this is the story of that metaphorical place and man, and this is the history of Vance’s Fort.

In 1774, twenty four year old Joseph Vance made the daunting trek from Frederick County, Virginia across spine of the Appalachians to the western frontier. He followed the bloody trail that was cut into the wilderness by General Edward Braddock nearly twenty years before and came into the tiny outpost surrounding Fort Pitt. He then continued westward to an area of nearly uninhibited lands that his friend and fellow Virginian, George Washington, had told him laid nestled in the hills just east of the mighty Ohio River.

"Rich Flatts"
Cross Creek, Pennslvania (2011)

At the time this land was being claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania, and Joseph Vance made his land claim for the farm known as “Rich Flatts” in Augusta County, Virginia’s Land Office. Upon receiving his land grant, Joseph began to clear next to a spring creating the head of a small stream leading to Raccoon Creek.  Here Joseph erected a fortified blockhouse and planted a field of crops, as well as girdled a large amount of trees surrounding the area to quickly thin them out. Upon completion of this Joseph returned to Virginia and married his cousin Anne Vance, and returned to his new lands in the west.

However, while he was in Virginia, Joseph was convinced by his father, Major William Vance, and several other military minded men that Indian unrest called for more protection than a simple blockhouse, and if the strained bonds of affection between the colonies and Mother England were to sever war would break out. Furthermore, if war were to commence the British Empire would probably take a page out of their enemy’s book and align with the Indians to wage war on the western frontier. Thus with this knowledge, Joseph returned and began to erect a small fort surrounding his blockhouse. The fort was one of the strongest on the western frontier consisting of several cabins and blockhouses all surrounded by a stockade made of oak.

Vance’s Fort quickly became the safe harbor of the pioneer families around the area. Many families actually resided within the fort during the spring, summer, and fall; while the Indians from beyond the Ohio made their raids into the frontier settlements. In most cases the men would leave their family at the fort and travel to their farms, and work the fields and construct their homes and outbuildings. This was the way of life for well over a decade at Vance’s Fort on the wild frontier.

As the population grew around the fort, it became self-evident that some social services were needed to meet the religious and educational needs of the hardy settlers. On September 14, 1778, beneath a large oak tree outside of the gates of Vance’s Fort, the first religious service in the entire region was held by Reverend James Powers, a man of The Cloth, from the forks of the Youghiogheny River. Reverend Powers stood beneath the outreaching arms of the mighty oak delivering his message to the settlers before him, while in the Reverend’s background stood the palisades of the fort, a sanctuary almost as comforting and as holy as the words which he spoke that day. Upon completion of the sermon several baptisms were held in the spring next to the fort. This congregation of settlers soon organized and formed the Cross Creek Presbyterian Church, building a log church atop the hill overlooking Vance’s Fort, to serve as a beacon to the weary soul. Moreover, just as the religious needs were met, the educational demands of the area were soon satisfied within the confines of Vance’s Fort. Robert McCready began to operate a small school in one of the cabins of the fort. McCready was a student of Dr. John McMillan, the founder of Jefferson College at Canonsburg, and was credited with being the first schoolmaster in the region.

Unfortunately, not all of the times around the Vance’s Fort were pleasant, for just as the fort served as a safe harbor for the settlers, it served as a destination point for warring Indian parties. A number of settlers were killed in and around the fort, many of whom were buried in the old graveyard atop the hill near the church. In the spring of 1782, an Indian raid commenced from the west, and William Parks, who was out working his fields, saw the raiding party and tried to slip away undetected. However, he was soon spotted and a foot chase ensued towards the safe confines of Vance’s Fort. However, just as he reached sight of the fort, his pursuers overtook him, killing and scalping him in front of all in the fort, including his family. The slaying occurred so fast and without warning to those in the fort that help was unable to be mustered to aid Mr. Parks, and his murders disappeared into the lurking shadows of the forest just as quickly as they appeared. Another tragic loss occurred just outside the fort. A little girl, whose name has faded from the memory of history, was going from the fort to the spring when she was struck down. The guard of the gate heard the whirring of an arrow and saw the girl drop just as she dipped her pail into the water; her cowardly assassin was never spotted or found.

However, the most eventful moment in the history of Vance Fort occurred just after February 17, 1782. Robert Wallace, who resided just a mile east of the village of Florence, was away from home when his farm was attacked by Indians. The raiders killed his cattle, burned his cabin and barn and took Robert’s wife, Mary, their newborn baby, and two other boys hostage. Mrs. Wallace made it several miles through the cold and dark wilderness before finally she could travel no more. At which point, the Indians killed and scalped her and the baby as they needed to make due haste back across the Ohio River. They spared the lives of the other two boys, who were still able to endure the journey, as they were valuable to the needs of the marauding party.

Robert Wallace returned that night and bore witness to the chaos and devastation surrounding his farm, and soon organized a search party. However, a snow fell during the night making it impossible to follow the trail. The next day a large party of settlers on the frontier gathered at Vance’s Fort to try and resolve the matter. They concluded that once again the Indians at the Gnadenhutten settlement needed to be brought east to Fort Pitt or taken further west as they were a launching point for many of the raids that afflicted the frontier settlements. Therefore, they went to General Irvine, the commandant at Fort Pitt, and he sanctioned a party of men to go forth into the Ohio territory and bring the missionary Indians to Fort Pitt. He assigned Colonel David Williamson to command the party, as he had previously led a relocation mission on Gnadenhutten.

The party gathered supplies in Pittsburgh and soon headed out for the Ohio settlements. They reached the village on March 7, 1782 and gathered all the Indians. At this point an unfortunate occurrence took place as Robert Wallace recognized the dress that his wife was wearing, and the relocation party soon turned to a party bent on revenge, as the fate of Mary Wallace then became evident. Moreover, they felt they had found proof of the Gnadenhutten settlement helped raiding parties in exchange for goods. The next day March 8, 1782, the vast majority of Pennsylvanians killed the 96 Indians at Gnadenhutten. [Editor’s Note: The Gnadenhutten Massacre will be a topic for a future posting.]

In 1792, Joseph Vance was leading a funeral procession when he told Robert Lyle, a young historian of the Cross Creek area, that the party went to Gnadenhutten with no intention of killing the Indians, but simply relocating them. The people of the Vance’s Fort community had come to the conclusion that this was needed in the late fall of 1781, when many families were gathered within the confines of the fort, and the Wallace raid served as the confirmation of this need along with the drive to finally go forth. Mary Wallace’s body was discovered in 1783, and was buried in the center of Cross Creek Cemetery, beneath a simple fieldstone marked “M.W.”

Soon after the Revolutionary War ended and settlement of the frontier pushed further west, Vance’s Fort was abandoned. It stood for many years as a stark reminder of the dangerous days of the old frontier, before being torn down. Much of the fort was reused in the construction of two barns on the old Vance farmstead.

Joseph Vance's Grave
Cross Creek Cemetery

Joseph Vance continued to live in the area until his death in 1832. He had served as a township and county leader, as well as a few terms in the Pennsylvania Legislature, he was a veteran of nearly all the Indian expeditions in the area, and was a leader in the Cross Creek Presbyterian Church. In 1830, he built a simple two story brick house alongside the church in the village of Cross Creek, where he lived his last two years out. He passed away May 6, 1832 at the age of 82.

Today, there are but few reminders of the existence of Vance’s Fort. On the north side of the present day Cross Creek Presbyterian Church is a Pennsylvania Historical Marker paying homage to the first sermon in the region held at Vance’s Fort, and on the south side stands the brick home Joseph Vance built in 1830. Across the street in the old graveyard rest many of the early pioneers, including Joseph Vance, who found shelter, religion, and education within the confines of Vance’ Fort. Moreover, on the outskirts of the village of Cross Creek stands the old Vance Farm with its barns built from the old fort, and just to the southwest of these barns lays a slight depression in the land next to a filled in spring marking the spot of the legendary Vance’s Fort.

Joseph Vance's House
Built 1830 (2011)

Cross Creek Church

Cross Creek Historical Marker

References:

Beers, J.H., Commemorative Biographical History of Washington County, Pennsylvania. J.H.Beers Publishing, Chicago Illinois, 1894. Pgs 182,351,361, 1012,1176, 1218

Crumine, Boyd, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of       Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men" L. H. Leverts & Co.,Philadelphia,     Pennsylvania, 1882.  Pgs 721-742.

Forrest, Earle B., History of Washington County Pennsylvania, Vol. 1. S.J. Clarke Publishing,      Chicago, Illinois, 1926. Pgs 214-216.