George Washington slept here

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George Washington Slept Here - Really !
by Carolee Michener - 2003

This year marks the 250th anniversary of two important events in the region that was to become Franklin and Venango County. George Washington's visit came in December, 1753. The French had arrived a few months earlier and began their six-year occupation of this section of western Pennsylvania.
French forces arrived here in the fall of 1753, a major step in fortifying the Ohio Valley and solidifying their claim to the land west of the Allegheny Mountains. They set up headquarters in the only building on the site of what is now Franklin - a log trading post built by a Scots trader, John Fraser, who was forced to flee.
For six years the French ruled the valley, erecting Fort Machault, an important trading post. This fort provided a strategic location from which the soldiers and their Indian allies could conduct raids on the settlements made by the English, killing the inhabitants and spreading terror among the farms and villages.
The French were only here a short time when George Washington, a young major in the Virginia militia, came to warn them to leave, presenting England's claim to the region. His trip north through the wilderness took him over what was known as the Venango Trail from Pittsburgh to Fort LeBoeuf (Waterford). The trail is well documented in both Washington's journal and in a diary kept by his companion and guide, Christopher Gist.
Venango County has a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker denoting the Venango Path in Irwin Township and some of today's highways are near the ancient trail. A project to mark the trail with appropriate signs has been launched by the War for Empire Consortium based in Pittsburgh. Other counties are joining with this effort and upwards of ten signs are planned for Venango County. Work is being coordinated by volunteer committees in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
A 25-page booklet, " has been published by the Venango County Historical Society, detailing the French, British and American forts which were built in Franklin in the 18th Century. It is available from the society, P.O. Box 101, Franklin, PA 16323. Cost is $4, plus $1.24 for tax and postage.
Contributor
Carolee Michener