1756 Fort Loudoun -December 1756
Fort Loudoun (Not to be confused with forts of the same name in Virginia and Tennessee, also built in1756) was built as part of a chain of frontier forts ordered by Pennsylvania General Assembly from the Blue Mountains in Easton, Pennsylvania, to Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The forts were needed to protect settlers from Indian raids during the French and Indian War. Through much of its life, Fort Loudoun was a stopping off point for both men and supplies going westward. The Forbes Expedition of 1758 depended on the fort for protection as they constructed 200 miles of road in the Pennsylvania wilderness. It also was a meeting place for discussions with Indians to convince them to ally themselves with the British. Troops garrisoned at the fort defended the area but were also responsible for the maintenance and security for their part of Forbes Road. The new road was the line of transport for men, supplies and communication.
At the end of the French and Indian War in 1760, the fort’s garrison was reduced to a skeleton crew until Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763. This touched off renewed Indian military action.
Defenses at Fort Loudoun were strengthened by locals to combat the threat of Indian raids. The fort again became a stopping off point for westward going troops. Colonel Henry Bouquet’s 1763 and 1764 Expeditions rested at Fort Loudoun for a time before continuing west to Bushy Run and Ohio, respectively. In 1765, the fort played a role in the Black Boys Rebellion, and then faded into obscurity. See Black Boys Rebellion, 1765, below.