Fort Barr Historical Marker

Fort Barr was one of the primary examples of what early settlement was like for English settlers in the Derry area. The fort, which was built in 1768, served as the home to Robert Barr, and his family who once lived in the Derry area. While the fort is no longer standing, the information known about Fort Barr provides knowledge about daily common life on the frontier, and the Barr Family. The blockhouse was also used as a base for regional wars such as Lord Dunmore’s War and the Revolutionary War, helping refugees move from one place to another as well used to fight off Native American raids.

Fort Barr is a blockhouse built in the Derry area in 1768 for the Barr family. The blockhouse exemplifies the life of a settler during the era. The fort also took active part in defending the frontier from Native Americans, protecting refugees, and playing a role in Lord Dunmore’s War and the American Revolution.

The story of Fort Barr begins in 14 years before the construction of the fort. The British and French fought each other from 1754 to 1763 in the Seven Years War to decide who should be the dominant global power. The North America theater of the Seven Years War was known as the French and Indian War. The British victory in the Seven Years War, and in turn the French and Indian War supposedly gave them rights to the land south of the Ohio and as far west to the Tennessee River through the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768.^[1] However, a conflict with the Shawnee people would arise as a side effect of the war. The Shawnee people have been in conflict with their neighbors decades preceding the treaty, however the treaty has brought forth another conflict to the tribe. The Shawnee people’s land was taken underhandedly by the Iroqouis in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. This underhanded deal brought conflict with the British which inevitably led to Lord Dunmore’s War and later on with Americans during the Revolutionary War.^[2]

Fort Barr was built in Derry Township in 1768 after the British acquired the land in the Treaty of Fort Stanwix. Initially, these lands were occupied by British squatters, however after the treaty many of these squatters acquired official warrants in 1769. One of these squatters was Robert Barr, who built Fort Barr with his sons. Fort Barr was not a star fort otherwise known as bastion forts, which were large forts given their name by their star shape, but a blockhouse in which Robert and his family lived. Blockhouses were the most common type of fort in the area as many settlers used these forts as homes as well. The purpose of the blockhouse was not to store large quantities of weapons or men but had various smaller tasks for the area. One of these tasks was to help transport refugees in times of war, while another task was to protect from Native American raids. One of the strategies the Barr family had was to warn nearby settlers of a Native American raid by firing three rounds as a sign to retreat into the families respective blockhouses.^[3] These tasks caused Fort Barr to be significant in the area by providing important support for refugees and other settlers.

Fort Barr played an important part in Lord Dunmore’s War.^[4] Lord’s Dunmore War was a conflict that arose because of infringing hunting rights against Native Americans west of the Great Kanawha as well as south of the Ohio River. In 1769, Daniel Boone, a pioneer in the region challenged the hunting rights of the tribes within the area, sparking conflict from different views of rights. The natives in the area believed they had the right to hunt while the settlers had the right to farm. The difference of belief led to the tribe's people to believe their rights were being infringed upon.^[5] This conflict escalated when the party of Captain Michael Cresap attacked the village of Chief Logan of the Mingoes, misinterpreting it for a Shawnee village. The Mingo tribe was dragged into the conflict after Chief Logan's family was killed by the party in the raid. Once the war had begun to escalate, Fort Barr became a lot more important as it helped with logistics of supply, wade off Native American attacks as well as transport refugees from the war. The British would achieve victory in Lord Dunmore’s War after winning the only major battle of the war at Point Pleasant through the command of Lord Dunmore and Colonel Andrew Lewis.^[6] The end of the war occurred at Camp Charlotte in present day Chillicothe, Ohio with peace talks between Lord Dunmore and the tribes. During these peace talks, Chief Logan gave a memorable speech about how they were betrayed by the settlers who they welcomed with open arms.^[7] 

After Lord Dunmore’s War, Fort Barr would continue to be of use throughout the American Revolution. Fort Barr resumed its important role in protecting from Shawnee and British attacks while acting as relief for Fort Wallace. The American Revolution would be the last conflict seen by Fort Barr, as the owner, Robert Barr, would be killed in an engagement in a retreat back to Fort Barr after failing to relieve Fort Wallace.^[8] The blockhouse would end up in the hands of William Gilson who acquired the land after being determined to have done a great service in the war. The final time Fort Barr would be used was in 1782 when Colonel Edward Cook sent a detachment of men and supplies to the blockhouse. There would lie the Barr Family, William Gilson, and James Wilson as their final resting place in the Barr Cemetery.^[9] 

Fort Barr sheds light on the importance of blockhouses on the frontier from raids, helping refugees, as well as providing support in the wars to come. Fort Barr provides only one experience from the many who settled the American frontier in the 1700s. Currently Fort Barr no longer stands with a historical marker in its place to preserve its importance in history. This marker and the stories of the blockhouses are preserved by the Derry Area Historical Society in hopes of teaching those the local history of the Derry area.

^[1] “The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania.” Explorepahistory.com - Stories from PA History,

http://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-6. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.

^[2] Calloway, Colin G. “‘We Have Always Been the Frontier’: The American Revolution in Shawnee

Country.” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 16, no. 1, 1992, pp. 39–52. JSTOR,

https://doi.org/10.2307/1185604. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.

^[3] Zipfel, Nathan. “The Derry Settlement.” Chapter XVIII, the Derry Settlement,

https://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland/oldwestmoreland/chapter18.html. Accessed 26 Sept.

2022.

^[4] “History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania : Boucher, John Newton : Free Download, Borrow,

and Streaming.” Internet Archive, New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1 Jan.

1970, https://archive.org/details/historyofwestmor01bouc/page/538/mode/2up. Accessed 26 Sept.

2022.

^[5] Downes, Randolph C. “Dunmore's War: An Interpretation.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review,

vol. 21, no. 3, 1934, pp. 311–330. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1897377. Accessed 26 Sept.

2022.

^[6] “Lord Dunmore's War and the Battle of Point Pleasant.” Lord Dunmore's War and the Battle of Point

Pleasant - Ohio History Central, Ohio History Central,

https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Lord_Dunmore%27s_War_and_the_Battle_of_Point_Pleasant.

Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.

^[7] Jefferson, Thomas. “Logan's Speech, 1744.” Edited by William Penden, Explorepahistory.com,

http://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=1-4-10D. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.

^[8] Wittenberg, Eric J. “Lord Dunmore's War: The Opening of the American Revolution.” Emerging

Revolutionary War Era, 3 Dec. 2015,

https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2015/12/03/lord-dunmores-war-the-opening-of-the-american-revolution/.

Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.

^[9] Walkinshaw, Lewis Clark. “Chapter 14: Frontier Forts.” Annals of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Lewis

Historical Pub. Co., New York City, NY, 1939, pp. 197–198.