Fort Jenkins, Bloomsburg Pa

 Fort Jenkins was located on the north bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna, in Centre township, Columbia county, about midway between the present towns of Berwick and Bloomsburg.

The structure was a stockade built around and in connection with the dwelling house of John Jenkins, hence its name. The stockade part was built in the usual manner by planting upright timbers in a trench of proper depth; these uprights were sharpened at the tops, and in this case, owing to their small size doubtless, "were fastened together by pins of wood and stiffened with two rows of timbers put on horizontally and pinned to the uprights inside, thus stiffening and uniting the whole into a substantial structure."

On March 31 1780, Indians attacked Fort Jenkins and captured eight prisoners

Hill House, 1939 - The Site Of Fort Jenkins

Fort Jenkins was built on the farm of Jacob Hill, about six miles above Bloomsburg, and about twenty rods from the river. The fort was probably a dwelling house originally built by the man after whom the fort was named, for Mr. Hill says that a low place where he built his house was said to be the cellar of a house built by Jenkins. It is first mentioned as a fort in a letter of August 9th 1778, addressed to Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler by Col. Hartley: he says-"I have established a post and a work is built at one Jenkins; about six miles below the Niscopeck Falls. There is now a garrison there which is to be strengthened to-morrow; when I am reinforced my wish is to extend our post to Wioming--should you not think yourself able to maintain yourself at Wioming, you are to march your troops to Jenkins' Fort, at the place I have mentioned." -  - "A HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY PENN" 1883, John G Freeze

"Mr. Jenkins sold the property to James Wilson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who, in turn, sold it to Capt. Frederick Hill, who moved upon it and erected a dwelling on the site of Fort Jenkins, where he built and kept a hotel, and in memory of the old fort named it the Fort Jenkins Hotel. In the old days of stagecoaches it was a well-known hostelry. When he was too old for business his son, Jacob, succeeded him and kept up the reputation of the place..."

"In writing the story of Fort Jenkins, the reader is reminded, in order to avoid confusion, that there was another fort of similar name, Jenkins Fort, in Wyoming Valley.  Jenkins Fort was situated on the north bank of the North Branch of the Susquehanna river, five miles below the town of Berwick, on the public road leading to Bloomsburg in Columbia County, at the time in Wyoming twp, Northumberland County"

 

Fort Jenkins commemorative tablet dedicated by the Moses Van Campen and Fort McClure Chapters DAR in 1925. The tablet reads, "Site of Fort Jenkins, Erected 1777-1778, Destroyed by Indians 1780, From 1781 to 1796 this Land was Owned by James Wilson, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Marker placed by The Moses Van Campen and The Fort McClure Chapters Daughters of the American Revolution, 1925"

Jenkins's Fort

Stockaded home of John Jenkins.  Built by Connecticuit settlers, 1776.  Surrendered to the British under Maj. John Butler, July 1 1778, and was burned.

More About Where The Forts Once Stood Along The Susquehanna

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/10/where-forts-once-stood-12-forts-between.html

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For more stories and history from Bloomsburg:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/10/bloomsburg-pennsylvania.html

And more stories and history from the surrounding area:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/history.html

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The Annals Of Fort Jenkins, By C.F. Hill

" In a letter from Col. Hartley to the Council of War, dated Sunbury, August 10th, 1778, he says:--"All the people of the West Branch above Wallace's (who lives near Muncy) had fled and evacuated their settlements-so on the Northeast Branch, all above Nescopeck Falls were gone. I was resolved to hold posts at both these extremes, and have an intermediate one on the head waters of Chellesquaque-there had been a small work began near one Jenkinses about five miles from Nescopeck Falls, near Briarcreek, this I have garrisoned." In November, 1778, information was brought to Col. Hartley that the Indians were in force about Wyoming, and that another band was moving towards the forks of the Chillisquaque and had taken some prisoners. He says:-"I am drawing some little force together and to-morrow will endeavor to attack those Indians on the Chillisquaque if they kept in a body and make a movement towards Fishingcreek, which will probably be of use to the people of Wyoming." The enemy does not seem to have approached the settlements on the Chillisquaque and the Fishingcreek, owing doubtless to the Colonel's promptness: and on the 14th of November he writes to the Council from "Fort Jenkins, near Nescopeck:" "The enemy are in force between here and Wyoming. They seem very intent on plunder, by their desolations near this place: they expected the Frontiers to give way, but the good countenance of this garrison has saved all below." In April, 1779, Mr. Maclay writes that "Massacres and depredations have been committed at Wioming, Fort Jenkins, Fishingcreek [Fort Wheeler], Freeland's Mill, Fort Muncy and Loyal Sock, almost at one and the same time." And Lieut. Hunter writes on April 27th that on the Sunday preceding, the Indians attacked the inhabitants near Fort Jenkins and had taken two or three families prisoners, but about thirty men from the fort turned out and rescued them. The Indians, however, drove off a number of horses. In May 1779 there was a family of four persons killed and scalped on the North Branch opposite to Fort Jenkins. Nothing of their name or history has come to my knowledge. In July following, Col. Hartley moved his regiment towards Wyoming and left Fort Muncy and Fort Jenkins vacant. But in November Lieut. Hunter proposes to send 25 men to Fort Jenkins for "the support of the distressed

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inhabitants." Col. Lund, Weltner writes to the Board of War, December 13, 1779, in reference to the posture of several forts on his taking command:-"I found Fort Muncy on the West and Fort Jenkins on the East Branch, with the magazine at Sunbury, to have been the only standing posts that were occupied." In March, 1780, another raid was made, the Indians carrying away seven or eight prisoners from about two miles above the fort, and in writing of it Lieut. Hunter says:-"Now we have but about 30 men at Fort Jenkins which was not able to spare men enough out of the garrison to pursue the enemy that carried off the prisoners." Who they were I have not been able to ascertain. The few men at the fort were unable to maintain it. It was daily becoming more insecure. The Indians were gathering round and the terrified inhabitants were fleeing for their lives. They seem to have strengthened the place shortly after, for, on the 9th of April, 1780, writing from Northumberland, Col. Weltner says:-"I have manned three material out posts, viz. Fort Jenkins, Fort Montgomery and Bosley's Mills."

In September, 1780, a descent was made by about 300 Indians and Tories, and an attack made on Fort Rice, on the upper Chillisquaque, which was repulsed; but the Indians burned and destroyed everything in their power along the whole frontier, and Lieut. Hunter hearing of the advance on Fort Rice, ordered the evacuation of Fort Jenkins, which, with all the buildings about it, was burned by the detachment of the enemy which moved up the North Branch. It seems never to have been rebuilt. Mr. Jacob Hill furnishes the following information in relation to Fort Jenkins:-"Its location was about twenty rods from the river, and about half the distance from the North Branch canal. It stood upon the very spot upon which my house now stands. There are no remains left above ground, but I think there might be some pieces of the logs buried in the ground. There is a very low spot between my house and barn which is said to have been the well inside the fort. There is also another such a spot near my house, and about four rods from the former, which is said to be the cellar of a house built by Jenkins, and in digging the cellar for my house my hands found a quantity of stone which I took to be the foundation of some building, among which were some brick of rather singular dimensions about four or five feet under ground.

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I well recollect when the posts of the fort stuck out of the ground, but they can no more be seen. The posts were oak. The fields in the vicinity are scattered with arrows such as Indians use. This is all I can tell you about it. There has been so much building upon and around this spot that all marks of the fort are almost invisible." - "A HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY PENN" 1883, John G Freeze

The West Pittston Fort Jenkins: