Fort Allen

Fort Allen was a structure that was built in 1774 in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania. It was built for protection from Indian attacks. Roughly 800 pioneer settlers in Hempfield, a large number of them German, had petitioned the state for aid and protection from the Indian attacks. In response to that, Fort Allen was built. As far as history shows, it was never involved in an emergency. It is believed that Fort Allen was named for Andrew Allen of the state's then governing body, the Supreme Executive Council. The fort was commanded by Col. Christopher Truby(in one source, spelled "Trubee"). Fort Allen was a frontier fort for Dunmore's War in 1774 and the American Revolutionary War. It was also known as Truby's Blockhouse.

There is a stone monument honoring Fort Allen. The monument was erected on May 1, 1929. It is located on the grounds of St. John's Harrold United Church of Christ, which is 150 yards north of where the fort was located . The monument and church are located at the corner of St. John's Church Road and Baltzer Meyer Pike. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission erected a roadside marker on December 12, 1946. It is located at the intersection of Route 136 and Baltzer Meyer Pike. The roadside marker says, "Frontier post built by Pennsylvania German pioneers of the Harrold's and Brush Creek settlements in 1774. It was a refuge from Indians in Dunmore's War and the American Revolution. The site was a little to the south."

Fort Allen Elementary School, which is located in the Hempfield Area School District, was built in 1952 and named after the fort.

References

* http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_321660.html
* http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMN31
* http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/DOH/countyresults.asp?county=Westmoreland
* http://books.google.com/books?id=YfwTAAAAYAAJ (page 259)