Like most primitive roads, the course of this road mutated over time. Rather than identifying the precise location of the 1779 road, the coordinates on this web page relate to what is known of the post-Revolutionary War route. This article provides a general overview, but does not include every known route variation, or every known landmark.
L. Dietle
In the interactive map that is included above, the general route of the Turkey Foot Road is illustrated with red dots. Zoom in and click on the dots for additional information.
In preparation for the attack, Washington asked Greene and Commissary General Wadsworth to improve the transportation of supplies from the "frontiers of Virginia" to Fort Pitt. Greene contacted Colonel George Morgan, who was the "purchasing Commissary for the Western department". Morgan assigned Captain Charles Clinton and Colonel Providence Mounts to cut a new, shorter pack horse road from the town of Fort Cumberland to supply Fort Pitt. Clinton lived at Fort Cumberland, and Mounts was a miller living at the site of Connellsville.
The supply situation was so bleak that Washington cancelled Fort Pitt's role in the campaign. Completion of the new road changed the supply situation, and Washington's mind.
By putting 1,500 pack horses on the new road, Fort Pitt was adequately supplied by June 24, 1779. Major General John Sullivan led the primary attack from the Wyoming Valley on July 31, 1779, destroying at least 40 Indian villages in New York. Colonel Daniel Brodhead led a successful parallel campaign from Fort Pitt on August 11, 1779, with 605 combatants and 100 escorts for the campaign supplies. Brodhead marched north as far as the upper Seneca towns, destroying a number of Indian villages and over 500 acres of associated crops, and returned to Pittsburgh on September 14, 1779. The twin campaigns were followed by an exceptionally harsh winter, which was devastating to the now under-provisioned hostile Indians. Although the ways of war are cruel, the campaigns provided a new degree of safety for settlers in the western frontier of Pennsylvania.
The new road passed through the southern end of what is now Somerset County to take advantage of forage in the "two plentiful Settlements" located there. North of Turkey Foot, the route passed through property in the vicinity of Mill Creek reservoir that was surveyed for Morgan and his brother in 1776. Morgan located his wartime "bullock Pens" on this property. The bullock pens were used for pasturing livestock that was being driven to Fort Pitt. The new road was some 20 to 25 miles shorter than Braddock's old road, and dryer, because it remained on the eastern side of the Youghiogheny River.
The military origin of the Turkey Foot Road, briefly summarized here, is proven by military correspondence that is detailed by articles in the 2012 and 2013 issues of the "Casselman Chronicle", a publication of the Springs Historical Society. It is also detailed in Volume 2 of the 2019 book "Fort Cumberland".
Soon after the war, several documents identify the Turkey Foot Road by name: A 1784 letter from Washington's physician James Craig; Washington's Sept. 22, 1784 journal entry; and his Nov. 30, 1786 letter to Tobias Lear. Craig refers to the route as "the Turkey-foot road", and reportedly purchased property near Morgan's "bullock pens". Washington calls the route "the New (or Turkey foot) Road" and "the New road by the Turkey foot". The earliest known maps to identify the new postwar road were published by Reading Howell in 1791 and 1792.
In January 1779, Nathanael Greene (pictured above) wrote to George Washington, proposing an attack on the Indian food supply. One army was to advance from the Wyoming Valley, and the other from Fort Pitt. Fort Pitt was under-supplied, and too weak to attack. Before Fort Pitt could go on the offensive, it had to be supplied. One of many difficulties was inadequate transportation.
Washington asked Greene for transportation assistance. Greene appointed George Morgan (pictured in silhouette above) to cut a new supply road to Fort Pitt. Morgan assigned two men to supervise the effort. One was Charles Clinton, from Cumberland. The other was Providence Mounts, from Connellsville.
The new road went through southern Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and then angled northwest through Fayette County, merging with Braddock's road in Westmoreland County. The route was determined by the availability of forage. That's why it went through the early Somerset County settlements.
Because of the supply problem, Washington had canceled the attack. The problem was solved by putting 1,500 packhorses on the new road. On June 24, 1779, Brodhead reported that he had ample supplies. Washington already knew and sent a letter on the 23rd of June granting permission to attack.
Sullivan's army left the Wyoming Valley on July 31, 1779. Brodhead's army left Fort Pitt on August 11, 1779. Brodhead had 605 combatants and 100 escorts for the supplies. Destroying the Indian food supply was the focus of both campaigns. This destruction was followed by an exceptionally harsh winter, with very deep snow. This, and the lack of food, had a devastating effect on the hostile Indians. Simply put, they had to retreat or starve.
Right after the war, Washington corresponded with several people about the new Turkey Foot Road.
The image above shows a portion of the 1792 map of Pennsylvania. It is the first postwar map to show most of the route of the Turkey Foot Road. By staying east of the Youghiogheny River, it avoided two hazardous river crossings, and saved 20 to 25 miles over Braddock's road. It passed through the present limits of Bullskin Township, and merged with Braddock's road in the environs of Hunker, west of Mount Pleasant.
The image above is a rough schematic of the southern part of the Turkey Foot Road. It passed through the Cumberland Narrows, and followed Wills Creek to Corriganville. From there it followed Jennings Run to Barrelville. There, the route swung northwest to Arnold's settlement. It entered Pennsylvania to cross Savage Mountain. After temporarily re-entering Maryland, it paralleled today's Greenville Road. It joined the modern road east of the Greenville church. Instead of following the Greenville Gap, it went over the Allegheny Mountain to Salisbury. It followed Winding Ridge to avoid a swamp at High Point Lake. After that, it took a direct route to Harnedsville and Ursina. After that, it passed through the Jersey Settlement and into Fayette County.
The portion of the 1787 Mayo map that is included above was marked up long ago to show part of the same path, along Jennings Run. The road was given the label "Road to Ohio". Other documents prove an antecedent Indian war path between the Narrows and Corriganville, Maryland.
Cumberland wasn't quite so big in 1779. A 1776 journal states "There is now only a little public house at Fort Cumberland" Meshack Brown described the condition of the town in about 1791. He said "there were not more than twenty or thirty houses, and they mostly cabins, surrounded by large corn-fields, containing heavy crops of corn."
Corrigan's tavern [39.693675, -78.788317] is pictured on the left.
The old log inn [39.693335, -78.7889416], on the right, is across the road from Corrigan's tavern. It was built around 1850, and has six fireplaces.
In the 1850s, this was part of a toll road that ran between Cumberland and West Newton. In other words, it was part of the Plank Road through Somerset.
This roadway, and the stone wall, still survive as the Portertown Road [39.698933, -78.82535]. The cliff has been quarried away, and is now the site of a house. Jennings Run has been moved into an engineered channel, in order to make room for the current alignment of Route 36.
After Barrelville, the road turned north, past the stone house [39.701831, -78.848265] that is shown at the upper left of the image above. Even though the house looks modern, this house was built around 1845. According to tradition, it was an inn. It is located way back from Route 36, along an abandoned section of the Turkey Foot Road.
In the aerial photo, Barrelville is on the right. The colored dots show the abandoned road climbing a hill. The switchback [39.70451, -78.845768] turns toward the Mule Field section of Arnold's settlement. The Mule Field is named for a stage coach stop.
The lower survey documents a section of the road that was abandoned in 1827. Part of the abandoned section survives as Mile Lane, which is pictured at the upper right.
You can easily see why this was named "Level Ridge". The 1762 survey mentions the site of a cabin, which helps to prove the existence of an antecedent path.
According to tradition, the rockwork in the photo above is the foundation to Arnold's hotel. It was located along an 1804 variation of the Turkey Foot Road. A now abandoned portion of the 1804 route began at Arnold's residence [39.703893, -78.871940], and headed northwest to the southern end of Bald Knob Road.
The route crossed the state line at 39.722879, -78.890397. The route is still visible on some satellite images.
The state line is located at the right-hand edge of the field. You can see where the road turned north into Pennsylvania, to cross Savage Mountain. After crossing a saddle on Savage Mountain, the route temporarily returned to Maryland, with several variations crossing the pipeline between approximately 39.724122, -78.919387 and approximately 39.724089, -78.918142. There were a maze of route variations in this area, but a section of Sampson Rock Road is the current alignment.
A summary of the Somerset County route is contained in the November 2011 issue of the "Laurel Messenger", which is a publication of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County.
CONTINUE TO THE PENNSYLVANIA PORTION OF THIS PHOTO TOUR
