The Search for Shannopinstown

This article was written by Jim Wudarczyk

As a result of frequent references to Shannopinstown in the annals of Colonial Virginia and Colonial Pennsylvania, there is no doubt that an Indian village existed somewhere in or near the present day community of Lawrenceville. However, there may be raised a serious question as to the exact location of that important colonial landmark. Although a historical marker was erected at the foot of the Washington Crossing (40th Street) Bridge, Lawrenceville historian, Jude Wudarczyk, writing in Historical Happenings, posed the academic question, “Where’s that Indian Village?” In his account, Wudarczyk cited several sources – each which offered an opinion on the location of the Indian town - and rendered an explanation as to why the confusion occurred.

In his article, Jude Wudarczyk wrote:

There is no doubt that the Delaware Indians had a village somewhere in this vicinity. This village was mentioned or alluded to many times in diaries and documents of the eighteenth century. This village bore several names and several variations of spellings for the same town. The following is a sample list of some of these names: Shannopin’s Town, Shawanapon, Shawwannopan, Senangelstown, Schuhawapan, Shanapins, Thannopne T., Shannopini, Shanopintown, Shanopens, the Village of the Delawares, the Village du Loups, and Old Town. Named in honor of the great Indian chief, Shannopin, also called Senagel, this village was to prove to be a hub of activity from approximately 1720 until approximately 1758. Trappers, traders, missionaries and military personnel were all to use Shannopin’s Town as a stopping point as they went about their work and journeys.

During the French and Indian Wars, both the English and the French vied for this strategic Indian village. It was one of only a few significant settlements close to the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It proved to be home to not only Shannopin, but other important Indian spokesmen as well, including the famous Half King. But the question remains, “Where was this Indian village?”

Author of Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City, the esteemed Stefan Lorant (p. 17) writes, “…Croghan had preferred a fort at the Forks of the Ohio: there was nothing there but a straggling Delaware village, called Shannopin’s Town.”

Yet on page 22 of the same book we find a map showing it to be on the south bank of the Allegheny River about midway between the Point and the mouth of Pine Creek.

Sarah Killikelly writes in History of Pittsburgh, (p. 10) while taking extracts from George Washington’s Journal of 1753, “…then to continue down to Shanapin’s town at the forks of the Ohio...” Now we know that George Washington never told a lie but later writes, “…and got to the river about two miles above Shanapin’s…Notwithstanding all our efforts, we could not get to either shore, but obliged, as we were near an island, (most likely a reference to Wainwright’s Island), to quit our raft and make to it.”

If Washington was in fact on Wainwright’s Island, then he would have been about four miles up river from the forks of the Ohio and Shannapin’s Town being two miles away would have been two miles from the Point, not at the Point.

On page five of Neville B. Craig’s History of Pittsburgh, the author writes, “Another Delaware town, called Shannopin’s Town was situated near the Allegheny River, from Two Mile Run downwards.”

Another source Pittsburgh: The Story of a City, by Leland D. Baldwin, (p. 14) says, “Three miles up the Allegheny River on the eastern shore huddle the cabins of Shannopin’s Town, and across the river at the mouth of Pine Creek can be discerned the cleared fields and log houses of George Croghan’s plantation and trading post.”

Even Lawrenceville Historical Society historians James Wudarczyk and Joseph A. Borkowski give different sites for the village. Jim Wudarczyk writes in his manuscript A History of the Lawrenceville Vicinity(p. 1) “This village located above the mouth of Two Mile Run in the vicinity of the present Thirty-first and Smallman Streets…” Borkowski, on the other hand, says in his book, Miscellaneous History of Lawrenceville (p. 1), “It was situated on what is now the area between 27th and 30th Streets and between Penn Avenue and the Allegheny River.”

On page four of the same source, Mr. Borkowski writes, “…Shannopinstown was located in the vicinity of present Penn Avenue and Allegheny river between 24th and 26th Streets and hardly any further.”

Given all the above, is it any wonder that Lois Mulkearn and Edwin V. Pugh write of Shannopin’s Town in Traveler’s Guide to Historic Western Pennsylvania (p. 66), “The site is in the vicinity of Fortieth Street, between Butler Street and the Allegheny River.”?

Still other sources place Shannopin’s Town on the North Side or in Millvale. Why all the confusion? The pioneers and early mapmakers had to rely largely on estimates, whether their own or someone else’s. Also, eighteenth century surveyors used tools that would be considered crude by today’s standards. The Pennsylvania Archives list several different locations for the village by longitude and latitude. Yet not on of these sites is in the Pittsburgh area. If memory serves, one had to subtract ten longitudinal degrees from those listed to get a Pittsburgh location. If this were done, the sites would range from approximately the 16th Street Bridge to approximately the 62nd Street Bridge.

Writing on the subject of Shannopinstown in a history of Lawrenceville titled Monster on the Allegheny and Other Lawrenceville Stories, Jude Wudarczyk continued to address not only the history of the village, but also the questions relating to location and importance. A portion of the text of this monumental study is herein reproduced:

Shannopin, also called Senangel, was a Delaware Indian who gained renown as a statesman and friend to the early colonists in the area of the present day Lawrenceville and the Strip District. As stated above, the village and variations of this name include Old Town, Schuhawapan, Senangelstown, Shanapins, Shannopini, Shawwannopan, and Village du Loups. The latter is the name used by the French expedition of 1749.

There is no consistency among early pioneers as the spelling of the Indian words. The name Shannopin appears on one letter as a signature with the spelling Shawannopin, and is thought to be pronounced as “Shawnopin.” Next to this signature is a mark resembling a turtle. Hence, the English translation for Shannopin may well be “ turtle.”

References to Shannopin’s Town appear as early as 1724. On April 30, 1730, Shannopin and a dozen other Delaware Indians, with the assistance of a trader, named Edmund Cartlege, sent a letter to Governor Gordon protesting the ravages of the rum trade. The governor was asked to stop sending such large quantities of rum into the woods.

It is interesting to note that two years later, in 1732, Shannopin again wrote to Governor Gordon. This time the chief thanked the governor for a present. The present was a cask of rum.

Also, in 1730 Chief Shannopin signed agreements with the Pennsylvania Provincial Council, which were interpreted by James Letort, recorded by Edmund Cartlege, and were witnessed by Jonas Davenport.

Many noted traders and explorers from the eighteenth century stopped at Shannopin’s Town. Among them were Robert Callender, Edmund Cartlege, Barnaby Curran, John Findley, James Letort, Anthony Sadowski, Michel Taafe and William Trent. Conrad Weiser, a Moravian Missionary, spent the night of August 26, 1748, at Shannopin’s Town as he journeyed to a meeting with the Six Nations of the Iroquois confederation at Logstown (located in present day Ambridge).

Christopher Gist, a trader, who was working for the Ohio Company at the time, came to Shannopin’s town. Here, on November 19th, 1750, he received corn for his horses. On the 20th when he fell ill, he was permitted to stay in the village to recover. He remained with the Indians until the following Saturday, November 24th.

Christopher Gist returned again in December of 1753 with the village’s most famous visitor, a young Virginia military officer named George Washington. The story goes that while the two men were crossing the Allegheny River on a makeshift raft on December 29, 1753, two miles above Shannopin’s Town, the craft hit an ice flow. Washington tried to dislodge the raft, lost his balance, fell into the frigid water and almost drowned. He was saved by swimming to a nearby island.

There is some dispute as to which island is in question. Some people favor Herr’s Island (now called Washington’s Landing). While others feel that Wainwright’s Island, which was much closer to the south shore, is correct.

From all accounts, we find that the Indians treated visitors at Shannopin’s Town with kindness and respect. This could well be one of the reasons why the village was such a successful trading center and a favored stopover for travelers, traders, and explorers. However, Shannopin’s Town also drew the interest of other parties, including the military.

While the inhabitants of this village were Delaware, they were ruled by the Iroquois. In the later years of its existence, a well-known Oneida (one of the Iroquois tribes) chief by the name of Scarrooyady lived here. Yet another chief, an Oneida named Tanacharison, lived here as well. Tanacharison was reputed to be such an extraordinary statesman that the English nicknamed him “The Half-King,” which was considered to be quite an honor.

The Half King is mentioned many times in eighteenth century letters and documents. He is said to have been a staunch supporter of the British during the French and Indian War. In 1754 his friend, John Patten, was taken prisoner by the French. Upon learning this, Tanacharison went straight to the French camp. There he exchanged words with the French commander and knocked him to the ground. Immediately afterwards, he turned to the British captive and said, “My brother, you are a free man, I discharge you, go about your business.”

Half King’s hatred of the French may well be based on reports that he believed the French had killed, boiled and eaten his father. He swore an oath of vengeance against the French, and on May 28th, 1754, he and his warriors joined the British in their battle against the French. During the fray, he, himself, killed the French officer Jumonville by splitting his head with a tomahawk.

It was with the three Indian chiefs, Shannopin, Scarrooyady, and the Half King, that the French and British sought to win favor. Both of these European powers knew the vast wealth in furs and land that the Ohio valley could provide, and both wanted it for their own.

The strategic significance of Shannopin’s Town could not be denied. It was the closest point where the Allegheny and Monongahela came together to form the Ohio River. Celeron de Bienville was to lead the first of the French forces to enter Shannopin’s Town on August 7th, 1749.

Another French force came to Shannopin’s Town in 1756.

According to another account, the British raised their flag at Shannopin’s Town on May 30, 1752. And on December 5th, 1753, James Hamilton, the Governor of Pennsylvania, wrote to John Patten ordering him to learn the number of French forces in the area, and their immediate and future objectives. Patten was also ordered to find out about the French forts that were in the planning stages, and learn of their distances from Shannopin’s Town. He was, likewise, told to take particular note of the road from Carlisle and its distance from Shannopin’s Town.

Shannopin’s Town was never a large settlement. George Croghan, an Indian trader and land speculator, was to describe the site as “a straggling Delaware Village . . .” Christopher Gist described it as “small, containing about twenty wigwams, fifty or sixty natives and twenty warriors.” Jim Wudarczyk describes it as containing “twenty dwelling houses and was populated by eighty persons.” This brings us to a question: Why was so small a settlement considered so important? The answer, no doubt, is that it was in a very strategic location.

This brings us to another question: Why was its location considered so strategic? The answer is simple. It was the closest settlement to the forks of the Ohio River. Which brings us to a third question: Exactly where was the village?

This question presents a problem. The answer is simply that we do not know. Different sources place the village at different locations ranging from the forks of the Ohio to an area in the vicinity of 40th Street between Butler Street and the Allegheny River. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that the earlier pioneers had to use estimates, whether their own or someone else’s, when traveling from hither to yon. Also, the surveying equipment of the time would be considered crude by today’s standards.

In volume V of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council Minutes, we find two accounts of the location of Shannopin’s town. The first appears on page 751 on which William West gave testimony,

. . . that Joshua Fry, one of the Virginia Commissioners who had the reputation of an excellent Mathematician with a Quandrant of eighteenth Inches Radius, took an Observation of the Sun on the 16th of June, 1752, at a Place about a mile north of Shannopin’s Town, and found the Sun’s Meridian Altitude to be 72d 54m.
Compliment Suns
Altitude - - - - - - 17 6
June 16, Suns
Declination - - - 23 1
Latitude - -- - - 40 29

The second appears on page 761, in which we find the Sun’s Declination to be 23 21 and the Latitude to be 40 27. The discrepancies may well be due to typesetting errors.

Many eighteenth century sources mention that the village was around Two Mile Run. This stream has long disappeared. However, maps found in a paper written by Carl K. Burkett, Jr. and Robert D. Ilisevich, housed at the Urban Redevelopment authority of Pittsburgh, show that it ran a very irregular course from approximately Liberty Avenue and Fortieth Street down to Thirty-third Street and Penn Avenue. Here the stream ran a short piece along Thirty-third Street past Penn Avenue where it makes a swing back towards Thirty-sixth until it empties into a part of the Allegheny River that used to be referred to as the Back Channel. Across the Back Channel was Wainwright’s Island.

The Back Channel has long since been filled, extending the shoreline to include the island. While at least two sources place the village above the mouth of the Two Mile run, another puts it downward from Two Mile Run. Whether up or down from the creek would depend upon how you held your map.

These conflicting reports do not help us pinpoint the exact location of the village. However, another piece of information may shed some light on this question. It is reported that George Croghan secured lands east of the village, and Thomas Smallman secured lands west of the same. An early map of Pittsburgh, appearing in Burkett and Ilisevich’s report, shows the tracts of land in question. While Croghan and Smallman’s names appear in much bolder print than much of the surrounding writing, it appears that the area where Two Mile Run bulges outward to Thirty-third Street was not owned by either of these two men and may well have been the area we seek. Alas, we cannot be sure because the writing is illegible. However, this site has a lot to offer in its favor. It is located at the junction of two old Indian paths (present day Penn Avenue and Butler Street). Such junctions made favorite places to build settlements in days of yore. Two Mile Run, and several other smaller streams that fed into Two Mile Run, would provide plenty of fresh water. This site was also far enough removed from the Allegheny River to be safe from any of the severe floods that were surely a frequent occurrence along those banks. Unfortunately, we cannot be sure until more convincing information comes to light.

Much ado has been made about the finding of numerous human remains in the vicinity of Thirty-first and Smallman Streets and Smallman Streets in 1861. Some feel that since these remains were in fact belonging to Indians from the eighteenth century that this was the site of the village. But it would seem that this would be a burial ground and not a village. The village would probably have been close to the burial grounds, but it seems unlikely that it would have been right on top of the burial grounds for fear of diseases and disturbing the spirits of the dead.

It is not known exactly when Chief Shannopin died. Again, we must deal with conflicting reports. One places his death before 1751, while others place him at the ceremony when the British raised their flag at Shannopin’s Town in 1752. The Half King died at Harris’ Ferry (present day Harrisburg) in October, 1754. Scarrooyady died in Lancaster in June, 1757.

In approximately 1758, the village passed away. The reason for its passing is not known. It must be remembered that such villages of the era had very short-lived existences. When game became scarce or neighbors became too hostile or crops stopped producing, the Indians packed up and moved to a new location. Perhaps diseases contracted from the ever-growing numbers of white settlers forced the Indians out. Or, perhaps, it was violence. Whatever the reason, the village is lost and gone, but we should not give up the search.

One of the earliest champions of advancing the cause to create awareness for the importance of Shannopinstown and a man who was instrumental in securing a historical marker was the late Joseph A. Borkowski, Honorary President of the Lawrenceville Historical Society. Borkowski was probably the first to compile a list of names by which the village was known. Additional names for the town were “Shannopin’s T, Shawanapon, Shawwannopan, Schuhawapan, Shanapins, Shannapins T. Thannopne T, Shannopins Town, Shanopintown, Shanopens, Shannopin, Village of the Delawares, and Village du Loups.

Borkowski’s Miscellaneous History of Lawrenceville recalled the fact that the Indian village was vital to the French. “The French expedition also noted Shannopinstown in their maps. French commandant Celeron de Bienville, who on August 7, 1749, came down the Allegheny to formally claim all lands drained by the Ohio River for the King of France referred to Shannopinstown as the Village of the Loups.” Lois Mulkearn and Edwin Pugh, A Traveler’s Guide to Historic Western Pennsylvania (1954), added to this interesting chapter of Pittsburgh history by noting, “There were only three men in the town. Celeron wrote that they had placed a white flag over their cabins and the rest of the Indians, fearing the French, fled to Logstown.”

There are still other early accounts that substantiate the existence of Shannopinstown. Historian C. Hale Sipe further documents the fact that Shannopin was a renowned and respected Delaware chief:

On August 1st to 6th, 1740, Conrad Weiser served as interpreter at a conference held in the Friends’ Meeting House, Philadelphia, between Governor Thomas and a party of eastern and western Delawares and a group of Iroquois. At this conference, Sassoonan represented the Delawares from the Allegheny and Shikellamy the Iroquois. The Delawares from the Allegheny, under Captain Hill from Kittanning and Shannopin from Shannopin’s Town, (on the east bank of the Allegheny within the present limits of Pittsburgh) fresh from French overtones, complained that the traders were charging them too much for goods, and that the whites were killing and driving away their game. “Your young men,” he said, “have killed so many deer, beavers, bears, and game of all sorts that we can hardly find any for ourselves.” They also desired that their guns and axes should be mended free. They were given presents to the value of one hundred fifty pounds, a more valuable gift than usually bestowed upon the Delawares, and it is very likely that the giving of it aroused jealousy among the eastern Delawares. They were also told that the Colony could not fix the price of traders’ goods. As for the killing of game by the whites, they were told that this was done by unlicensed traders, and that if the Indians would not patronize such, it would prevent their coming among the Indians and killing their game.

At this conference, Captain Hill and Shannopin told the Governor that about six years prior to that time, two children of the Delaware were taken prisoner and carried away by the Catawbas, and they were advised that these children were still living among the Catawbas. These chiefs then asked the Governor to make inquiry of the Governor of Virginia concerning the captives; whereupon Governor Thomas promised to write the Governor of Virginia in the matter.

Conrad Weiser, a German pietist missionary, was among a number of noted persons to visit the village. Weiser spent a night at Shannopin’s Town on August 26, 1748, before continuing on his way to a meeting with the Six Nations Iroquois Confederation at Logstown.

Milkearn and Pugh also point out:

The Virginians commissioned to make a treaty with the Indians at Logstown in 1752 were welcomed at Shannopin’s Town by the Delawares with great ceremony. On Thursday, May 28, the commissioners were greeted by “seven or eight of the Delaware Indians on Horse-back,” who had ridden about three miles to greet them. Here the preliminary ceremonies took place. Both the English and Indians:

dismounted, and the Indians having filled and lighted their long Pipes or Calumets, first smoak’d and then handed them to the Commissioners and others in their Company, who all smoak’d.

The speaker for the Delawares then “made a short Speech to welcome the Commissioners,” after which the group remounted and rode toward Shannopin’s. When they were a short distance from the town:

the Commissioners with their Company halted, the Indians going on to join their own People, and then they began the salute by firing their Pieces, which was returned by the English and this was repeated two or three Times. The Commissioners then proceeded to the River Bank, a little above the Town, where they pitched their Camp, and set up the King’s Couluors, which had been carried before them.

Since Chief Shannopin was dead, the brothers, Shingas and Beaver, adorned with “silver Breast Plates” officiated at the ceremonies.

Shannopin’s Town received considerable attention in Christopher Gist’s journals. The entry of Thursday, November 15, 1750, tells how gist suffered through bad weather and ill health on his journey westward. Gist wrote, “The weather being bad and I unwell, I stayed here all day. The Indian to whom this camp belonged spoke good English and directed me the way to his town, which is called Shannopin’s Town; he said it was about 60 M and a pretty good way.” In continuing his journal, Gist wrote:

Friday 16. Set out S 70 W 10 M.
Saturday 17. The same course 15 M to an old Indian’s camp.
Sunday 18. I was very sick, and sweated myself according to the Indian custom in a sweathouse, which gave me ease, and my fever abated.
Monday 19. Set out early in the morning the same course; traveled very hard about 20 M to a small Indian town of the Delawares called Shannopin on the SE side of the river Ohio where we rested and got corn for our horses.
Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21, Thursday 22, Friday 23. I was unwell and stayed in this town to recover myself. While I was here I took an opportunity to set my compass privately and took the distances across the river, for I understood it was dangerous to let a compass be seen among these Indians. The River Ohio (Allegheny) is 16 poles wide at Shannopin’s Town. The land in general from Potomack to this place is mean, stony and broken; here and there are good spots upon the creeks and branches but no body of it.
Saturday 24. Set out from Shannopin’s town and swam our horses across the River Ohio and went down the river S 75 4 M, N 75 W 7 M, W 2 M; all the land from Shannopin’s Town is good along the river, but the bottoms not broad. At a distance from the river, good lands for farming, covered with small white and red oaks and tolerable level; fine runs for mills, etc.

About two miles above the village, George Washington and Christopher Gist attempted to cross the Allegheny River on December 29, 1753, when their crudely made raft was bumped by a floating cake of ice. Washington was thrown into the river and was nearly drowned. The two men were returning from a mission to the French when they experienced the terrible ordeal. It was on the former Wainwright’s Island that they spent a night before continuing to the trading house of John Fraser at the Mouth of Turtle Creek.

In an other episode in the short history of Shannopin’s Town, John Hogan, a soldier in the Virginia forces, was held captive by the French in 1756 when he visited the Indian Camp. According to Hogan’s account the village had a population of fifty or sixty, of whom twenty were able to bear arms.

Still further evidence of Shannopin’s Town exist in the deed transferring 200,000 acres of land from the chiefs of the Six Nations to George Croghan. Although the deed was not executed until November 9, 1768, it appears that the transaction took place in August, 1749.

Section II – Deed for 200,000 acres of land from the Chiefs of the Six United Nations to G. Croghan, November 9th, 1768.

To whom all people to whom these presents shall come-Greetings: Know ye that we, Abraham, a Mohawk chief; Sennghors, an Oneida chief; Chenaugheata, an Onondaga chief; Tagaaia, a Cayuga chief, and Gaustrax, a Seneca chief, chiefs and sachems of the Six United Nations, and being and effectually representing all of the tribes of the Six United Nations, send greeting. Whereas, Johonerissa Scaroyadia, Cosswentanica, chiefs or sachems of the said Six Nations, did, by their deed duly executed, bearing date the 2nd day of August, 1749, for and in consideration of the following goods and merchandise being paid and delivered to them at a full council of the Six United Nations, Delawares and Shawanese, held at Logstown, on the River Ohio, on the 2nd of August, 1749, that is to say: 240 shrouds, 400 Duffield blankets, 460 pair of half thick stockings, 200 shirts, 20 pieces of calico, 20 pieces of calimancoe, 20 pieces of embossed serge, fifty pounds of vermillion, 50 gross of gartering, 50 pieces of ribbon, 50 dozen of knives, 500 pounds of gunpowder, 1,000 of bar lead, 3,000 gun flints, 50 pounds of brass kettles, 400 pounds of thread, 1,000 needles, ten dozen jews-harps, 20 dozen tobacco tongs, and 100 pounds of tobacco: Grant and sell unto George Croghan, of the Province of Pennsylvania, Esquire, in fee, a certain tract or parcel of land, situate, lying and being on the southernly side of the river Monongahela: Beginning at the mouth of a run nearly opposite to Turtle creek, and then down the river Monongahela to its junction with the river Ohio, computed to ten miles; then running down the eastern bank and sides of and unto the said river Ohio to where Raccoon creek empties itself into the said river; thence up the said creek ten miles, and from thence on a straight or direct line to the place of beginning on the aforesaid river Monongahela, containing by estimation, one hundred thousand acres of land, be the same more or less. And whereas, the said Johonerissa Scaroyadia and Coswentanica, chiefs or sachems, as aforesaid, for the consideration hereinafter mentioned to them in full council, as aforesaid, paid and delivered, that is to say: 140 shrouds, 240 Duffield blankets, 275 pair of half thick stockings, 120 shirts, 12 pieces of calico, 12 pieces of calimancoe, 12 pieces of embossed serge, 30 pounds of vermillion, 12 gross of gartering, 30 pieces of ribbon, 30 dozen knives, 300 pounds of gunpowder, 600 of bar lead, 1,000 gun flints, 30 pounds of brass kettles, 4 pounds of thread, 500 needles, six dozen of jews-harps, six dozen tobacco thongs, and 50 pounds of tobacco, did, by one other deeed, bearing date the same day and year last aforesaid, grant, bargain and sell unto George Croghan, in fee, one other tract or parcel of land, situate, lying and beginning on the river Yoxhiogeni, including the Indian village called the Seurchly, old town; the same tract or parcel of land containing 15 miles in length, on the said river, and ten miles in breadth, and including the lands on both sides of the said river Yoxhigeni, which, 15 miles in length and 10 miles in breadth, he, the said George Croghan, has liberty to locate either upon or down the said Yoxhiogeni, but, nonetheless in such manner so as to include and locate the said Indian village and land called the Seurchly, old town, which said tract or parcel of land contains, by estimation 60,000 acres, be the same more or less.

And, whereas, the said Johonerissa Scaroyadia and Cosswentanica did, by one other deed, bearing date the day and year last aforesaid, for consideration herein mentioned to them in full council, paid and delivered, as foresaid, as to say, 96 shrouds, 160 Duffield blankets, 184 pair of half thick stockings, 80 shirts, 8 pieces of calico, 8 pieces of embossed serge, 20 pounds of vermillion, 20 gross of gartering, 20 pieces of ribbon, 20 dozen knives, 200 pounds of gunpowder, 400 of bar lead, 1,000 gun flints, 20 pounds of brass kettle, two pounds of thread, 500 needles, four dozen of jews-harps, four dozen tobacco thongs, 50 pounds of tobacco. Grant, bargain and sell unto the said George Croghan, in fee, one other tract of land, situate, lying and being, and Beginning on the east side of the river Ohio, to the northward of an old Indian village, called Shannopinstown, at the mouth of a run called the two mile run; then up the said two mile run where it interlocks with the heads of the two mile springs, which empties into the river Monongahela; then down the said two mile spring to the several courses thereof unto the ad. Monongahela; then up the said river Monongahela to where Turtle creek empties itself into the same river; then up the said Turtle creek to the first forks thereof; then up the north or northerly branch of the said creek to the head of the same; thence a north or northerly course until it strikes Plum creek; then down said Plum creek until it empties itself into the river Ohio, and then down the said river Ohio to the place of beginning, where, as aforesaid, the two mile run discharges itself into said river Ohio; containing, by estimation 40,000 acres, be the same more or less, which said several grants, bargains and sales, duly made and executed, by the last mentioned chiefs….

Borkowski also makes mention of the Indian Burial Grounds. “In an area that is today known as 32nd and Allegheny Valley R. R. and the Allegheny River, a number of Indian skeletons were dug up from on ‘Old Indian Burial Ground.’ It was a favorite burial place for the ‘Western Indians.’ The whole tract extended several acres and according to those engaged at the time in excavations for a copper refining plant ‘appeared to be thickly underlaid with human remains.’ (1861) One of the skeletons recovered was described as follows: ‘The man judging from his remains must have been of Herculean proportions. His skull wore the peculiar shape which distinguished the Indian cranium and bore evidence of having been fractured at the same period possibly with a tomahawk. His and others were uncovered during the process of excavations from foundations for Lake Superior Copper Works to be located at 32nd at Taylor and Butler Streets’ (not to be confused with the present Butler Street.)

In more recent times, a scholarly study by Ilisevich and Burkett made further mention of the search to locate the Indian village. This study also makes note of the burial ground but sets the year of the discovery in 1862. The difference between the two sources as to the date may have to do with the fact that the Borkowski study was typed by students at Lawrenceville Catholic High School and reproduced on a mimeograph machine. Thus, the real possibility for a typographical error existed. In either case, both studies document the site. Ilisevich and Burkett wrote, “Regarding the location of Shannopin’s Town, nearly all primary sources place it between Two Mile Run and Thirtieth Street. Compelling archaeological evidence is the ‘Indian burial ground’ at the northwest corner of Thirtieth and Railroad Streets. This source, from the files of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, was provided by James B. Richardson, Curator, Section of Anthropology, and its register number (36A1303) and location by Stanley W. Lantz. Associated with the burials were European trade items which are mentioned in a trader’s account book of the period: sleeve buttons, beads, a finger ring and silver armbands (George Allen Waste Book, entries for July 26, 1759 and February 29, 1760, Darlington Memorial Library).”

Based on the above and the fact that George Washington noted that he was above Shannopin’s Town when he spent a cold night on Wainwright’s Island, and the village was approximately two miles above Fort Duquesne, it appears the marker at 40th Street could very well be in the wrong spot. Needless to say, more study on this subject still is in order.


Bibliography Leland D. Baldwin, Pittsburgh, The Story of a City, (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1938). p. 14.

Joseph A. Borkowski, Historical Highlights and Sites of the Lawrenceville Area, (Pittsburgh: Nathan Hale Historical Society of Lawrenceville Catholic High School, 1969).

Joseph A. Borkowski, A Miscellaneous History of Lawrenceville, (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1989). pp. 1-6.

Bureau of American Ethnology, Handbook of American Indians, Bulletin 30, part 2. p. 256.

Allan Becer, James Wudarczyk, and Jude Wudarczyk (edited by Cynthia Wudarczyk), Monster On The Allegheny And Other Lawrenceville Stories, (Pittsburgh: Lawrenceville Historical Society, 1993. pp. 1-13.

Deed for 200,000 Acres of Land from the Chiefs of the Six Nations to George Croghan, November 9, 1768.

Industrial Park in the Lawrenceville Neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Unpublished, 1990).

Neville B. Craig, History of Pittsburgh, (Pittsburgh: J. R. Weldin Company, 1917). p. 5.

William M. Darlington, Christopher Gist’s Journals, (Pittsburgh, 1893). P. 92.

Sarah Killikelly, History of Pittsburgh, p. 10.

Stefan Lorant, Pittsburgh, The Story of an American City, (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1964). pp. 17 and 22.

Lois Mulkearn and Edwin V. Pugh, Traveler’s Guide to Historic Western Pennsylvania, (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 1953). p. 66

Neville B. Craig, editor, “The Adventures of Captain Robert Stobo,” The Olden Time, Volume 1, Number 8, August 1846. p. 372.

Neville B. Craig, editor, “Shannopin’s Town,” The Olden Time, Volume 2, Number 3, March 1847. p. 139.

Pennsylvania Archives, Volume 1. p. 341.

Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council Minutes, Volume 5. pp. 702, 707, 751, and 761.

C. Hale Sipe, Indian Chiefs of Western Pennsylvania, (Butler: Ziegler Printing Company, 1927). pp. 98-99.

Paul A. W. Wallace, Indians In Pennsylvania, (Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, 1981). P. 181.

James Wudarczyk, A History of the Lawrenceville Vicinity, (unpublished), 1983. pp. 1-4.