The Pennsylvania Department
A Pennsylvania Chronology


A Chronology of Pennsylvania events, notable and otherwise, taken from various sources and elaborated with full text, when possible, for events with especial significance for Pittsburgh and for Western Pennsylvania.

1609
Under the charter, Virginia claimed that part of Western Pennsylvania
in which Pittsburgh later lay and the region was known as the District of West Augusta. c


1638
March 30. Swedes come to the Delaware--Peter Minuit steps ashore. g


1643
February 16. Johan Printz arrives as Governor of New Sweden. g


1674
June 29. Duke of York receives new patent for his grant. g


1680
June 8. Earliest Court removed from Upland to Kingsesse. g


1681
March 4. William Penn received Charter for Pennsylvania from King. g


1682
La Salle, a French explorer, and his party journeyed down from Canada to the Ohio River area. c
January 11. First records of courts in State preserved. g
March 10. Organization of sixty-seven counties of Pennsylvania began with Philadelphia. g
April 25. Frame of government written by William Penn. g
May 29. Free Society of Traders organized with aid of Penn. g


1683
February 27. Early days of witchcraft in Pennsylvania--Two women on trial. g
June 25. First deed for Chester County conveyed to William Penn. g


1684
March 17. First excise laws of Pennsylvania enacted. g


1685
February 1. First division of Province into counties begun. g
May 15. Dr. Nicholas More, first Chief Justice, impeached. g


1692
First recorded account of a European to travel to the Ohio Valley region.
Arnout Viele, a Dutchman, accompanied several Shawnee to their home in the lower Ohio Valley. He had been sent by the Governor of New York. The Planting of Civilization in Western Pennsylvania, pp. 27, 47. c


1699
March 23. John Bartram, first great American botanist and founder of Bartram Gardens, born at Darby. g


1700
January 29. John Penn, "The American," born in Slate-Roof House. g

1706
January 17. Benjamin Franklin, youngest son of seventeen children, born. g

1708
February 18. William Rittenhouse, who built first paper mill in America, died. g

1710
June 13. Conrad Weiser and family arrive in America. g

1715
January 22. Story of the Old Log College and the Reverend Charles Beatty, born on this day. g

1719
France planned a series of forts to defend her claims to the Ohio River area. c

1720
Chartiers a town once located on the site of Tarentum was founded by
the Shawnee under the trader, Peter Chartier. It was abandoned in 1745. c
The first iron furnace was used in Pennsylvania. c

1722
June 16. Penns secure first manor west of Susquehanna. g

1722-23
March 2. Pennsylvania on paper money basis when bills of credit are issued. g

1724
The Delaware Indians emigrated (from the area near Delaware and Susquehanna rivers)
to the area near the branches of the Ohio River. c

1727
As early as this date, traders on their way west passed through the region which is now Western Pennsylvania. c

1728
April 28. Shawnee Indians murder Conestoga tribe. g

1731
First Library in America was founded by Benjamin Franklin. c
June 1. General John Bull, Officer of Province and the Continental Army, born. g

1732
Of the Six Nations, the Seneca were the most western in geographical position--
from the headwaters of the Allegheny River to some distance down the Ohio. c
May 10. Long standing boundary line dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania proprietaries. g

1734
January 31. Robert Morris, financier of the Revolution, born. g
May 14. Provincial Council hears of border trouble. g
May 25. Hamilton pleads with Governor of Maryland for release of Pennsylvanians. g

1740
March 13. Colonel Matthew Smith, hero of early wars, born. g
May 3. Evangelist Whitefield bought site for Negro school at Nazareth. g

1741
February 13. First magazine in America published in Philadelphia. g

1742
John Frazier, a pioneer, and his family settled on the right bank of the Monongahela River
just below the mouth of Turtle Creek. This was the first cabin built by a white man west of the Alleghenies. c
January 12. Pious Henry Antes organized first Moravian synod. g
June 30. Provincial government and Indians open conference. g

1743
Peter Chartier persuaded the Shawnee to declare for the French. c
January 24. Captain Thomas McKee, Indian trader, makes deposition before Governor. g

1744
This country's first Symphony Orchestra started here in Pennsylvania. c
January 16. Simon Girty, outlaw and renegade, born. g
April 9. Captain John Armstrong, murdered in Jack's Narrows. g

1745
By a treaty the Indians agreed to prevent the French and allied Indians
from marching through their country to attack the English. c

1747
May 5. French and Indian Wars--Lieutenant Governor Thomas resigned. g

1748
The Ohio Company, a London business venture, was chartered.
It faced two enemies--the Pennsylvania traders and the French. c
January 6. Bishop Cammerhoff started journey among Indians. g
August 26 - September 19. Conrad Weiser, a German missionary who sought to win the friendship
of the Indians for England, was at Logstown for a conference with the Indians. c

1749
The first religious services in the area [Western Pennsylvania] were conducted by
Jesuit Father Bonnecamp, who accompanied the expedition of Captain Louis de Celeron. c
Celeron de Bienville, who was head of a French expedition,
placed leaden plates on trees and in the ground with an inscription in French claiming the Ohio Valley. c
August 2. George Croghan purchased a large quantity of land from the Iroquois Indians,
by the council of Six Nations, part of it lying within the present city of Pittsburgh. c
June 15. French plant leaden plates to prove possession [of Ohio Valley]. g

1750
Christopher Gist, who became famous as a guide to George Washington, made his first
journey to the Ohio country as an agent for the Ohio Company. Was at Shannopin's Town, where he used his compass, was ill, and where the Indians administered a "steam bath" treatment. c
February 22. Service and captivity of Captain John Boyd, born on this date. g
May 21. Stephen Girard, resident of Philadelphia by accident, born. g

1751
February 4. By this date, Lewis Evans had made a map of the Pittsburgh area.
(Whether or not he made the trip is unknown, but it is probable that he made some explorations.) c
May 7. George Croghan, King of Traders, sent on mission to Logstown. g
May 27. Colonel George Croghan for the English and Andrew Montour for the French
met with the Six Nations, at Logstown. c
May 28. Croghan and Andrew Montour made a treaty. c
July. Christopher Gist received instructions from the Ohio Company
to explore the Monongahela Valley and the south side of the Ohio River to the Kanawha Valley. c

1752
Christopher Gist settled west of the Youghiogheny River. c
June 13. The commissioners appointed by Governor Dinwiddie to Logstown had the Indian Chiefs ratify
the treaty of Lancaster, allowing the English to form settlements on the south and east side of the Ohio River. (Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, v. 1, p. 263) c

1752-55
The Marquis Duquesne, sieur de Menneville, was governor-general of New France. c

1753
John Fraser had a home and a fur trading post where Turtle Creek
empties into the Monongahela River. Early travelers, including George Washington and his famous guide, Christopher Gist, stopped there. The steel plant, Edgar Thomson Works occupies the ground. c
Christopher Gist built a home and settlement west of
Chestnut Ridge, near today's Brownsville. (Pennsylvania Magazine, v. 80, p. 285) c
June 2. Liberty Bell hung in old State House. g
July 11. The register of baptisms and interments which took place at Fort Duquesne was begun. c
November 22. George Washington at John Fraser's cabin, near Turtle Creek. c
November 23. The beginning of a city. George Washington, on a military mission to the French at Erie,
stood at The Point and referred to the place as "extremely well situated for a fort." "The area was flat, well timbered and very convenient for building." c
December 29. Saturday. George Washington crossed the Allegheny River
on return voyage to Virginia at site of present Washington Crossing Bridge. c

1754
February 17. Captain William Trent leads first English armed force to Forks of Ohio. g
April 15. Theatrical performances begun in State. g
April 17. A French expeditionary force under Captain Contrecoeur arrived at The Point,
drove out the English, took possession and named the place Fort Duquesne in honor of the Governor of Canada. c
May 27. The first armed encounter between the French and the Virginians
occurred near the mouth of Red Stone Creek in which engagement Washington defeated and captured a body of French troops. c
Spring and Summer. The French constructed Fort Duquesne. c
July 28. Captain Stobo wrote a letter to Governor Dinwiddie
describing Fort Duquesne where he was a prisoner. c
August 24-26. Christian Frederick Post conferred with the French
and the Indians regarding the claims of the English. c
November 25. George II commissioned Major General Edward Braddock
"to vindicate our just rights and possessions in North America." c

1754-58
This was the period when the French language was spoken and the French flag flew over Fort Duquesne
at The Point. French soldiers and their families lived nearby. c


1755
Benjamin Franklin assisted Braddock by procuring wagons from the campaign against Fort Duquesne. c
February 20. French and Indian War started by arrival of Braddock's troops. g
May 6. Work begun on building Braddock Road over Alleghenies. g
July 9. General Braddock defeated by French and Indians. g
July 13. General Braddock died of his wounds. c
September 18. The first recorded birth at Fort Duquesne was that of John Daniel Normant.
He died 6 days later. c

1755-1800
A famous burying ground was started by the French from Fort Duquesne
and continued to be used by early settlers. The present remains are in the space between the Presbyterian and Trinity churches. c

1756
David McKee settled in a blockhouse at the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela rivers.
His son, John, became the founder of McKeesport c
January 9. Fort Hunter, an important defense, garrisoned. g
January 25. Work commenced on erection of Fort Henry. g
January 28. Massacre of settlers along the Juniata River began. g
March 7. Andrew Lycans killed in attack by Indians in Wiconisco Valley. g
March 29. Colonel Clapham commissioned to build Fort Augusta. g
April 14. Bounties for scalps of Indians proclaimed. g
June 7. Colonel William Clapham began erection of Fort Halifax. g

1757
April 1. Great Indian Council opened at Harris' Ferry. g

1758
April 5. Mary Jemison, "White Woman of Genesee," captured. g
April 13. Family of Richard Bard captured by Indians. g

1760
April 21. Cornerstones laid for Germantown Academy. g

1761
January 20. Albert Gallatin, solider, statesman and financier, born. g

1763
April 16. Tedyuskung, Indian chief, burns to death in cabin. g
May 17. Indian war known as Pontiac Conspiracy opened. g
May 23. Moravian mission at Wyalusing established. g
May 28. Colonel William Clapham and family murdered by Indians. g
June 4. Indians succeed in destroying Presqu' Isle. g

1765
March 6. Settlers attack pack trains near Fort Loudoun. g
April 30. Veterans of French and Indian Wars organize. g

1766
June 6. John Penn found first wife dying after second marriage. g

1768
January 10. Founder of Stumpstown (Frederick Stump) murdered ten Indians. g
July 6. John Conrad Beissel, founder of Ephrata Society. g

1769
February 8. First members of Susquehanna Company settle in Wyoming. g
June 3. Transit of Venus observed in yard of State House. g
June 9. Last purchase from Indians caused by boundary dispute. g
June 22. Colonel Turbutt Francis marches Provincial troops to Wyoming. g

1771
February 4. John Penn, last Proprietory Governor, succeeds Richard Penn, who died on this date. g
March 9. County of Bedford formed from a part of Cumberland. g
June 20. Moravians dedicate first church west of the Alleghenies. g

1772
March 21. Old Northumberland, Mother of Counties, erected. g

1773
February 26. Westmoreland County, last under Proprietory, erected on this date. g

1774
May 24. Peaceful family of Chief Logan, slain by Whites. g

1775
January 23. Militia organized at Provincial Council meeting. g
February 7. Western boundary in dispute--Jail at Hannastown stormed. g
April 24. News of Revolution reached Philadelphia. g

1776
May 8. Pennsylvania Navy meets British in action. g
June 18. Provincial Conference meets at Carpenters' Hall. g
July 4. Declaration of Independence adopted by Congress. g

1777
January 27. Great Indian conference began in Easton. g
February 25. Andrew McFarlane captured by Indians at Kittanning. g
March 27. Bethlehem hospital base during Revolution. g
June 14. United States flag adopted by Act of Congress. g
June 19. Massacre at Indian town of Standing Stone. g

1778
January 5. Amusing and memorable "Battle of the Kegs." g
March 28. Flight of Tory leaders from Pittsburgh." g
April 10. Tories of Sinking Valley take oath to King. g
May 1. British foragers massacre Americans at Crooked Billet. g
May 2. General Edward Hand relieved of command following Squaw Campaign. g
May 18. Meschianza, stupendous entertainment for Sir Wm. Howe. g
May 20. Lafayette executes skillful retreat at Matson's Ford. g
June 10. Massacre at Lycoming Creek, present Williamsport. g
June 17. British and Tory refugees evacuate Philadelphia. g
June 28. British flag captured by Pennsylvanians in Battle of Monmouth. g
July 3. British and Indians massacre hundreds at Wyoming. g
July 5. Massacre at Wyoming followed by "The Great Runaway." g


1779
February 3. Benedict Arnold arrested for conduct in Philadelphia. g
February 23. Simon Girty, the renegade, and Indians attacked Fort Laurens. g
March 5. Colonel David Brodhead arrives at Fort Pitt to fight Indians. g
April 11. Captain John Brady, noted hero, killed by Indians. g
April 26. Indians captured James McKnight, Assemblyman. g
May 26. General Sullivan arrives at Easton to subdue Six Nations. g
July 8. Widow Smith's mill destroyed by Indians. g


1780
March 20. Military laws of Province repealed by Import Act. g
March 22. Peter Pence, Indian fighter, captured. g
May 16. Massacre at French Jacob Groshong's in Union County. g

1781
January 1. Mutiny broke out in Pennsylvania Line. g
March 3. General Clark began draft for troops in Drive against Detroit. g
April 20. Colonel Brodhead destroyed Indian town of Coshocton. g

1782
January 7. Bank of North America, first incorporated bank in the United States, commenced business. g
March 8. Frightful slaughter of Indians at Gnadenhuetten. g
June 11. Colonel William Crawford captured by Indians. g
June 12. Death of Colonel Crawford and escape of Dr. Knight. g

1783
March 12. Lands set apart for soldiers of Revolution. g
May 30. Davy, the lame Indian, surrenders at Fort Pitt. g
June 21. Revolutionary forces threaten Executive Council. g

1784
February 29. Commissioners appointed to purchase last Indian lands. g

1785
April 29. Christian Post, Moravian missionary, died. g

1787
June 26. Colonel Timothy Pickering abducted by Yankees at Wyoming. g

1788
April 6. Governor Penn makes trip through State, starting on this date. g

1789
March 24. Proposal for second Constitution for Pennsylvania adopted. g
May 11. Captain Stephen Chambers fatally wounded in duel with Dr. Rieger. g
May 22. Philadelphia paid homage to Lady Washington. g

1790
February 12. Quakers make protest against slavery to Congress. g
March 25. David Lewis, robber and counterfeiter, born. g

1791
February 19. Canal system started with Committee Report on this date. g
April 23. James Buchanan, Pennsylvania's only President, born. g

1792
April 2. First Mint established in Philadelphia. g
April 3. Act for purchase of Erie Triangle passed. g

1793
January 3. Lucretia Mott, celebrated advocate of anti-slavery, born. g

1794
February 24. Town laid out in Erie County by Act of Assembly. g

1795
February 9. John Penn, last of Proprietary Governors, died. g
April 17. Lottery for Union Canal for $400,000 authorized by Legislature. g

1799
March 14. Fries' Rebellion or Hot-Water War arouses Governor. g

1800
January 21. General Thomas Mifflin, soldier, statesman and several times Governor, died. g

1802
March 1. First law to educate poor children signed. g

1804
February 6. Dr. Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen, died at Northumberland. g

1805
February 15. German Christians organized Harmony Society in Butler. g

1808
February 11. First anthracite coal burned in grate by Judge Jesse Fell. g

1809
January 4. Samuel Maclay resigned from United States Senate. g

1810
February 5. Ole Bull, founder of colony in Potter County, born. g
February 21. State Capitol removed to Harrisburg by Act. g

1812
May 12. War of 1812 began in Pennsylvania with message of Governor Snyder. g

1816
March 18. Pittsburgh built in 1760, incorporated April 22, 1794 and chartered as city on this date. g

1819
February 14. Christopher L. Sholes, inventor of typewriter, born in Mooresburg. g

1820
May 13. Lieutenant Colonel Antes, soldier and frontiersman, died. g

1822
January 2. General Assembly occupies new State Capitol. g

1825
May 19. Colonel Puck parades his celebrated "Bloody Eighty-Fourth" Regiment. g

1826
April 27. Steam boat Susquehanna, in effort to navigate river, starts fatal trip. g

1828
February 24. General Jacob Brown, hero of War of 1812, died; native of Pennsylvania. g

1831
January 8. Matthias Baldwin completed first successful locomotive. g

1833
April 4. Reading Railroad incorporated by Act passed on this date. g

1835
April 8. Monument erected to Colonel Kelly, Revolutionary War hero. g

1836
January 30. Betsy Ross, who made first American flag, died. g

1837
January 26. James Trimble, first Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth,
public servant sixty-seven years, died. g
April 12. General Abner Lacock, United States Senator and distinguished citizen, died in Beaver County. g

1840
March 11. Public education established by Governor George Wolf, who died on this date. g


1844
July 7. Riots in Philadelphia brought to an end. g


1846
January 14. Railroads fight to enter Pittsburgh; great state convention. g

1847
March 31. History of Pennsylvania Railroad begins with organization of company. g

1848
June 23. Pennsylvania makes first report in Congress for railway to the Pacific. g

1854
June 5. History of James Pollock nominated by Know Nothing Party. g

1857
January 13. General Simon Cameron defeated Colonel Forney for United States Senate. g

1858
January 19. Prophetic letter to President Buchanan by Governor Packer, who was inaugurated on this day. g

1860
June 24. John Binns, English politician and editor, died. g

1861
January 15. Governor Andrew G. Curtin inaugurated war Governor. g
April 18. First Northern camp in Civil War established. g
April 19. Training of troops began at Camp Curtin. g
May 27. Patriotic women feed soldiers at Cooper Shop and Union Saloons. g

1863
June 27. Ewell's force of Rebels made raid on Carlisle. g
July 1. Decisive battle of Gettysburg opened Wednesday, this date. g
July 2. Sickles' Corps holds Confederates off both Round Tops at Gettysburg. g

1864
April 22. Eccentric John Mason's leaning tower on Blue Hill destroyed. g

1868
March 16. David Wilmot, author of Proviso, died at Towanda. g

1869
March 15. Mollie Maguires murder Wm H. Littlehales, which brings
Detective McParlan to the coal regions. g

1873
April 7. Edwin Forrest, the great American actor, founded the Home for Actors. g

1876
January 18. Long reign of terror by Mollie Maguires brought to end. g
February 10. Munley and McAllister, Molly Maguires, arrested for murder of
Thomas Sanger and William Uren. g
May 4. Trial of five Mollie Maguires for murder of B. F. Yost begun at Pottsville. g

1889
May 31. Thousands of lives lost in Johnstown Flood. g

1897
February 2. Old Capitol building destroyed by fire. g
March 19. Margaret Junkin Preston, poetess-laureate, died. g

1920
May 9. Bishop John Heyl Vincent, founder of Chautauqua. g

Sources:

-- c --
Pennsylvania Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh,
Chronology Index 1680-
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-- g --
Frederic A. Godcharles,
Daily Stories of Pennsylvania,
Milton, Pennsylvania: Published by the author, 1924.
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