Asbury Church
In 1793, a man named Francis Asbury
began Methodist services for the people of Green Hill and the
surrounding area. The church was built in 1841 from stones and
lumber from Sideling Hill Mountain. You can still view the original
pews, pulpit and Deacon’s bench. Asbury Church is located
on Route 30 approximately 8 miles west of McConnellsburg.
Big Spring Graveyard
This is the site of the Great Cove Massacre, November 7, 1755,
when settlers’ homesteads in the cove were burned and
settlers captured by the Delaware and Shawnee Indians under
the leadership of Chief Shingas. Travel south from McConnellsburg
on Route 522 for 3.1 miles, and turn east on a dirt road .4
miles to the graveyard. The first schoolhouse in Fulton County
was ed near here. Burnt Cabins
Burnt Cabins is a linear village along the Forbes Roads. With
its location at the foot of Tuscarora Mountain, Burnt Cabins
became an important stopping place and several of the buildings
in the village served as inns or taverns for 18th or 19th century
travelers. Integral to the village was the Burnt Cabins Grist
Mill. Other historic resources in the village are for the most
part houses. Most are log or light from construction. There
are also a few stone and brick buildings. Dates of construction
range from the late 18th century through approximately 1945.
Burnt Cabins Grist Mill
Located near Route 522 in Burnt Cabins, this water-powered
mill still produces flour sold nationally. Over 200 years old,
the mill is on the National Register of Historic Places and
also features a campground and general store housed in a restored
log structure.
Cowans Gap State Park
Nestled in a hollow east of Tuscarora Mountain in Fulton County’s
northeast corner, Cowans Gap received its name from Major John
and Mary Cowan who swapped their wagon and horses for 100 acres
in this valley from a Tuscarora Indian chief. The chief made
a covenant to be at peace with the Cowan family forever. In
1908 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased a huge tract
of land that included the Cowan property. The 1,085-acre park
and 42-acre lake, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps,
offers swimming, picnicking, hiking, fishing and boating (non-gasoline
powered boats only) with campsites and cabins available. Ranger
programs are open to the public.
Great Cove Golf & Recreation Club
Approximately 3 miles south of McConnellsburg off of Cito Road,
Great Cove offers an 18-hole, par 71 course with swimming pool
and tennis courts.
Forbes Trail
Following William Penn’s land purchase of 1754, British
General John Forbes began to build a 12-foot wide supply road
from Philadelphia to Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) where the French
were claiming territory. Along with Braddock’s road, the
Forbes Road was the colony’s earliest land route to the
great West. Portions of the old roadbed have been marked as
a Boy Scout project. Route 522 from Fort Littleton to Burnt
Cabins, south on Aughwick Road to Cowans Gap State Park parallel
or coincide with the trail which connected Fort Bedford, Fort
Littleton and Fort Loudon. Fort Littleton
The village of Fort Littleton lies one mile north of Exit 13
of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 10 miles north of McConnellsburg
along Route 522. Governor Robert Hunter Morris established the
fort in 1756 at what was then known as Sugar Cabins, named after
the existing settlement of log cabins located in a grove of
sugar maple trees. The fort was part of the western defenses
Pennsylvania Governor William Morris had built beyond the Kittochtinny
Hills (now the Cumberland Valley) and marked the western end
of the line of four original provincial forts west of the Susquehanna
River.
Fulton County Courthouse
Located on the “square” at West nd North
Second Streets in McConnellsburg, construction began in 1851,
one year after Fulton County was formed. The building was designed
by Jacob Stoner and later renovated in the 1960s. Its original
kerosene chandelier now hangs in the Fulton House. Across the
square is the quaint one-room Wible Law Office, restored to
its 1880’s splendor.
Fulton House
A prominent Georgian-influenced stone tavern built
circa 1793 and located on Lincoln Way East in McConnellsburg,
this inn once boarded governors and four presidents and was
originally knows as The Union Hotel. The building is now restored
following a devastating 1944 fire that destroyed much of the
18th century interior of the original structure. The 1820 east
end addition was not affected by the fire. This portion of the
building houses the Fulton County Historical Society Museum,
which is open to the public on special occasions.
Harrisonville
This small village at the intersection of Routes 30 and 655
was named after William Henry Harrison. Located as a stopping
point along the Lincoln Highway, a small country store is still
serves travelers today. In the 1850’s it enjoyed two stores,
a schoolhouse, one hotel, a blacksmith shop, and seven residents.
Hustontown
Named after Thomas Huston, this historic village is situated
in northern Fulton County at the intersection of Routes 475
and 655.
Knobsville & the Narrows
The Narrows Road east of Knobsville was once the main road
from McConnellsburg to Burnt Cabins. It represents a narrowing
in the mountains, and Knobsville is defined by the “knobby”
ridge standing over the village.
Last Confederate Bivouac
After burning nearby Chambersburg on July 30, 1864, Confederate
soldiers camped for the night on the Patterson Farm along Cove
Creek one mile south of McConnellsburg. They demanded 2,600
meals of the townspeople who numbered about 550. Many drunken
soldiers then looted homes. This was the last Confederate camp,
or bivouac, on northern soil and is recognized by a state historic
marker on the west side of Route 522.
Lincoln Highway
The bridle path established by William
McConnell in 1761 became known as “Water Street”,
because the town stream in McConnellsburg flowed under it. By
1815, this trail became the Chambersburg-Bedford Turnpike with
a toll of $3.42. The turnpike lasted nearly 100 years, and is
now the main east/west road through Fulton County.
The Lincoln Highway is America’s
first coast-to-coast highway stretching from New York City to
San Francisco, and is known primarily as Route 30. The early
Lincoln Highway sparked popular imagination and fostered the
rapid growth of automobile tourism.
McConnellsburg
McConnellsburg is the seat of Fulton County government, and
laid out in 1786, later to be incorporated into a borough on
March 26, 1814. Although the town square was situated out at
the intersection of Second and Market Streets, McConnellsburg’s
main street developed a block to the south along the main road
from Philadelphia to Fort Duquesne and the western United States.
The town’s character is reflective of its significance
as a stopping place on this great road. Records from 1835 list
46 occupations of McConnellsburg residents directly related
to the current Lincoln Highway including blacksmiths, stage
coach drivers, wagon makers, merchants, wagoners, saddlers,
innkeepers, drovers and wheelwright. Near McConnellsburg, on
June 29, 1863, William Moore and Thomas Shelton became the first
Confederate soldiers to be killed north of the Mason-Dixon Line
during the Civil War. Some historic structures still in use
include the Fulton County Courthouse, Fulton House, and founder
Daniel McConnell’s home.
Meadow Grounds Lake
A few miles southwest of McConnellsburg,
the 208-acre site is operated by the Pennsylvania Fish &
Game Commission. Open for hunting, fishing, boating (non-gasoline
powered boats only) and hiking. Among the state’s unspoiled
lakes, a handicapped accessible fishing pier is available along
with a boat launching ramp.
Winter ice fishing is popular here.
One well-liked hike is from the dam breast south on Jarrett
Trail to a cascading waterfall, but it can be challenging in
places.
Needmore
When a new post office was being built and an official name
was requested, Daniel Bishop was so pleased this community was
getting this government service, he was said to exclaim, “We
need more houses, need more stores,” so the name Needmore
was used.
New Grenada
Situated in the gap of Sideling Hill in northwest Fulton County,
this village derived a considerable trade from the nearby coal
fields in Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. In the mid-19th century,
it boasted two stores, hotel, cabinet-ma nd undertaking
establishments, blacksmith shop, and steam saw mill.
Rosebud Valley Nature Center
Located along Route 928 one mile south of Big Cove Tannery,
this site was originally the property of amateur naturalist
and lawyer Edmund Kerper. Kerper created this sanctuary early
in the 20th century for song birds and, each spring, planted
trees, flowers and flowering shrubs, thus creating a botanical
garden and arboretum. It is about 40 acres and managed by the
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry as part of Buchanan State Forest.
Sideling Hill Mountain
Just east of the Bedford/Fulton County line, Sideling Hill
features a beautiful picnic area on top of the mountain along
Route 30. There are pavilions, picnic tables, nd rest
areas, plus a registry for passing bicyclists to sign confirming
their efforts in climbing the mountain. A network of trails
crisscrosses the mountain top, and hikers will find both relatively
flat and hilly terrain. Bicyclists can access a 10-mile stretch
of abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike which includes two tunnels,
one being 1.3 miles long, so don’t forget to bring along
a light.
Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church
Within sight of the Mason-Dixon Line on Route 655 south of
Needmore, the Tonoloway Baptist Church was built in 1752 by
some of the earlier settlers in Fulton County. Rev. Joseph Powell
became pastor in 1765 and also served as the colonial delegate
to state and national constitutional conventions. His gravestone
still stands in the cemetery. The present brick meetinghouse
remains unchanged, both inside and out, since its ion in
1828. Union troops used it as a temporary hospital during the
Civil War.
Tuscarora Trail
This 252-mile hiking trail runs from Marysville PA south to
Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It enters Buchanan State
Forest near Spring Run, travels southwest along the top of Tuscarora
Mountain, descends into Allen’s Valley and Cowans Gap
State Park, and follows part of the colonial era Forbes Road
trail. Ascending to the summit of Tuscarora Mountain again,
the blue-blazed trail follows the mountain top across Routes
30 and 16, then along the mountain through state game and forest
lands into Maryland. It was originally planned as an alternate
section of the Appalachian Trail because of right-of-way threats.
Union Cemetery
4 miles south of McConnellsburg along Route 522, Civil War
veterans are interred in this historic cemetery on the west
side. Warfordsburg
In December, 1776, Joseph Warford
was deeded 100 acres of land on which he laid out a village
that was to become known as Warfordsburg. A large stone structure
that served as the Warford home and tavern was built. Unfortunately,
the building was destroyed by fire in 1947. Warfordsburg lies
just north of the Mason-Dixon line in southern Fulton County,
off Interstate 70 and readily accessible to US Route 40, the
historic National Highway.
Webster Mills
Hunter Mill, on the west side of Route 522, has been in continuous
operation since 1812, although water is no longer used as the
power source. It was begun by David Hunter, a landowner and
member of the state legislature. A typical 19th century general
store, Ford’s Country Store, across the road from the
mill remains unchanged, but it is no longer open for everyday
business. So many of the male members of the Scots-Irish Seceder
Associate Presbyterian Church near here were bald, that it got
the nickname “The Bald-Headed Church”. Webster Mills
in approximately 5 miles south of McConnellsburg. Wells Tannery
In The northwestern part of Fulton
County is Wells Township, among the most scenic sections of
the county. By an act of the state legislature in 1850 then
Aughwick Township was renamed Wells Township and transferred
to the new county of Fulton. According to published reports,
the township derives its name from an early settler by the name
of Wells who came from Baltimore, reportedly around 1760. A
Scot-Irishman by the name of Alexander Alexander (better known
as Double Alick) is thought to have been the first permanent
settler, emigrating in 1763 to Greencastle in Cumberland County,
then to Wells Valley in 1772. Alexander traveled to Fort Lyttleton
for milling, Fort Loudon for sale and groceries, and sle
for dry goods. Mr. Alexander was forced to leave his home by
Indians in 1777. He then settled in McConnells Cove and moved
again in 1778 to the Conococheague settlement where he remained
until the close of the American Revolution. |
