A story of Fort Augusta, located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River. Presented as part of “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly series produced for the Sunbury Daily Item, with the above number published on November 21, 1977.
Panel 1 – Fort Augusta, at present-day Sunbury, was the largest fort in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War – even bigger than the French Fort Duquesne, in what is now Pittsburgh. Constructed of logs in 1756, Fort Augusta was 204 feet across with a moat, an outer stockage, 4 blockhouses, and a covered walkway to the Susquehanna River. A regiment (8 companies of 50 men each) was garrisoned there.
Panel 2 – The fort was presumably named after Princess Augusta, widow of the Prince of Wales and mother of the future monarch, the notorious George III.
Panel 3 – Fort Augusta became a center of peaceful Indian activity providing a base for sending envoys to confer with the Indians, and a rest stop for Indians themselves on their way to peace talks. Trade with the Indians was enhanced with a trading post inside the fort.
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An explanation of the series “Pennsylvania Profiles” appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item, May 10 1985:
For the stories behind… forgotten but fascinating facts, you’ll want to read “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly feature with vivid illustrations… in this newspaper…. Pennsylvania Profiles delves into the nooks and crannies of the Keystone State’s hectic heritage. [It] is researched, written and illustrated by Patrick M. Reynolds of Willow Street, a town in southern Lancaster County. He is a graduate of Pratt institute, Brooklyn, New York, and Syracuse University, New York. His features are available in books. Reynolds is a Vietnam War veteran and an Army reserve Infantry officer.
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Obtained through Newspapers.com.
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