ATTENTION PLEASE - PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE NESTING DUCKS IN THE SPRINGTIME NEAR GZ !! MOVE SLOWLY; ALL WILL BE WELL. THANKS.
For lovers of Colonial and French & Indian War History, this site, off-the-beaten-path, provides a glimpse into a time when the western edge of the American Frontier is right where you are standing. The nearby interpretive sign should not go unread.
The sign relates the stories of Pawlings Tavern and The Great Valley Road as well as a brief biography of the Pawling Family and the British Campaign of 1755 (French & Indian War).
Interestingly, when the British & Americans (1500 strong under General Braddock) were routed just south of what is present day Pittsburgh by the French and Indians (with losses of 1000 dead/wounded), command of the Army fell to Colonel Thomas Dunbar. Dunbars orders were to fall back and hold The Great Valley Road in order to protect the western frontier from Harris' Ford (Harrisburg) to Watkins Ferry (Williamsport). Dunbar either failed to receive the orders or chose to ignore them, as he retreated all the way to Philadelphia. This resulted in raids by Delaware, Shawnee and Mingo Indians on the un-protected frontier. The Greencastle area was to suffer a number of these raids, accompanied by massacres and scalpings.
The well-known Enoch Brown Massacre some fourteen years later was the last major Indain raid, as the Treaty of Paris (1764) marked the end of the French & Indian War.
Enough! Read the sign and try to visualize, nothing to west of here but wilds and mountains. No settlements, no towns, no roads, no Dunkin Donuts, just Indian territory.
The cache is a quick grabber. It contains only a logsheet, so bring a writing stick.