Rachel Silverthorne's Ride - Documented In A Post Office Mural

The Mural Inside the Muncy Post Office, Commemorates the Ride of Rachel Silverthorne

United States Post Office Murals were produced from 1934-1943 through The United States Department of Treasury. They were commission-driven public work programs that employed artists to beautify American government buildings, strictly on the basis of quality. Artists working for the Section were not chosen on the basis of need, but through anonymous competitions where the national jurors were often other artists. This was no simple task - artists had to submit drawings, be chosen, and then have their designs approved each step of the way. Diane Chamberlain based a book, Big Lies In A Small Town, around an artist creating one of the murals. It's a great read. https://amzn.to/3jzG3Pm

The Mural in the Muncy Post Office was painted in 1938 by John W. Beauchamp, of Massachusetts. He worked on the mural for about six months. The completed painting is 12 feet by 6 feet, and hangs in the lobby. Beauchamp came to Muncy in search of an appropriate historic scene before starting his assignment.   According to a 1949 article in the Sun Gazette: "He conferred with Dr T.K. Wood, then president of the historical society. Dr Wood related the story of Rachel Silverthron and gave the artist several books to read.

The center of the painting depicts a girl on horseback. Looking to the left and rear of the paining is a log cabin. Men, women and boys had come to see what the excited girl on horseback wanted. One woman had a baby in her arms, several of _the men in the foreground had muskets in their hands and on the right side another man who had been cutting down trees was coming with an axe in his hands.

The story of Rachel Silverthorn as written in an early issue of Now and Then relates that one warm afternoon in July 1778 a small group of settlers stood on the east bank of the Susquehanna River near the mouth of Muncy Creek. The men had just finished putting the last person into boats which were ready to start down the river To Sunbury. The group left behind was composed mostly of bronzed and hardy men.

All had peen peaceful in the valley, but a messenger had arrived that morning from Colonel Hunter, commanding the garrison at Fort Augusta at Sunbury, with news that combined forces of British, Torries, and Indians, had massacred settlers in the Wyoming Valley on July 3. It was, thought advisable to order all settlers north of Muncy Hills to come to the fort at Sunbury.

All went well well here until Aug 7 when a small party started gathering harvest in the fields at the mouth of Loyalsock Creek. Finding that they could not finish that day they decided to spend the night there in a crude shelter.

They began their work early in the morning of Aug 8 and had been working only a short time when sentinels gave the signal of an Indian attack.

Young James Brady, son of Capt. John Brady, was in charge but he was almost instantly shot down and scalped. Several other whites were killed and wounded.

One of the group reached Muncy that afternoon at 5 "o'clock with news of the attack. A runner was sent to Fort Brady. Captain Brady immediately sent out a to arms.

A small party of frontiersmen had gathered on the tiny parade grounds within the closure. Captain Brady ordered one of the to saddle his made and bring her to him . He then asked "Who will volunteer to go and warn our friends of their, danger? " Rachel Silverthorn volunteered."

The 1873 Atlas of Lycoming County gives this account of her daring ride:

 On the 8th day of August 1778 at five o clock in the afternoon intelligence was received at Fort Muncy two miles above Muncy Creek that fourteen reapers protected by a small escort of troops had been attacked near Loyalsock that morning and three of their number killed. 

Among the mortally wounded was the son of Captain Brady who was shot wounded with spear and tomahawk and scalped yet after the Indians left him walked to the house was next day carried to the fort above Muncy but died of his wounds a few days after. 

It was under these circumstances that the brave Captain Brady had the call to arms sounded the little garrison was mustered on the parade ground and in a few hurried sentences the events of the morning were related and the inevitable fate of the settlers on Muncy Creek portrayed if not notified at once. 

The commander's favorite mare was saddled and brought to the front and the question asked, "Who will volunteer to carry the news of danger to our friends? " No one stepped forward.  "Take my mare she is the fastest in the country can easily outrun any Indian pony,  you can notify the remotest settler and she will bring you back before the sun hides herself behind the Bald Eagle mountain. " 

Still no one stepped from the ranks. 

"This very night the wily foe serpent like will creep to their very doors and to morrow morning when the first gleam of light rises over the Muncy Hills the torch will be applied to their huts the knife will gleam in the air and scalps be torn from defenseless heads. Who,  who? ", thundered Brady "who will go on this errand of mercy? "

 " I captain I will apprise them all of their danger, " said a gentle voice on his right. I know the trails full well I can make the circuit of the Gortners, Jacob Alwood the Shaners, David Aspen and the Robbs, and suiting the action to the word Rachel Silverthorn grasped the reins of the faithful animal that stood ready like herself to be sacrificed if necessary in the interest of humanity. 

 And before the soldiers had time to recover from their astonishment and chagrin she was mounted and flying with the speed of the wind to the nearest cabin on the creek which was on the farm now owned by the heirs of Colonel John Gortner, thence to Alwood's Shaner's and Aspen who lived on the farms now owned by the descendants of Baltser Steck .

 Her path then led over the land now occupied by the town of Hughesville to a settlement made and occupied at that time by the ancestors of the Robb family then back to the fort. 

She returned in so short a time that the garrison was as much astonished as they were at her departure. But the heroism necessary to undertake so perilous an undertaking was a sufficient guarantee that the work would be well done.

And it was well done for we are told that under cover of the dark night that followed every exposed settler in the district was safely housed in the fort. The timely warning given by the brave and beautiful Rachel Silverthorn no doubt saved some of her friends from the cruel tomahawk and scalping knife, and one perhaps in whom she had a double interest as tradition hands down to us the fact that her affianced was among the exposed. 

 The feat was a noble one and as it belongs to the history of our own valley must not be lost.  The name of the brave girl should go down to posterity side by side with that of Lydia Derr, Jane McRea, and other heroines of the dark days of our frontier and our country that they may be held up together as examples of self devotion bravery and noble daring worthy of imitation.  "

It's interesting to note that many would have fled to the home of Samuel Wallis, today known as Muncy Farms,  for safety.  It would be centuries before Wallis would be revealed to have been a spy for the British, having worked with Bennedict Arnold.  Read more about that here: https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-samuel-wallis-assisted-benedict.html

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Stories & History Of Muncy PA

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/03/muncy-pennsylvania.html

For More Stories and History From Surrounding Towns:

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

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Read More:

• https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-rachel-silverthorn
• The Life & Times Of Chief Cornplanter
• There is no record of who exactly Rachel Siverthorne was, but there was both a George and an Oliver Silverthorne recorded in Muncy in 1774.

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From The Atlas Of Lycoming County, 1873

Transcription:

RACHEL SILVERTHORN The following sketch of the acts of one of the heroines of 1778 is furnished by Dr M Steck of Hughesville. The doctor's researches have unearthed an incident that had been long lost to history and space is cheerfully accorded in this work to give perpetuity to one of the most heroic acts of that trying time.

 One of the most interesting incidents connected with the early settlement of the valley of the Canusarago occurred at Fort Muncy in 1778 when a savage foe was lurking behind every bush and our forefathers were being killed and scalped by scores.  Our heroine belonged to one of the settlers families and she had gone to the fort for protection while the men remained at home to take care of their cabins goods and most important of all their crops of wheat which were just at that time ripening.

 No mention is made of this incident in the Colonial Records and it escaped the close investigations of Megioness in his History of the West Branch Valley. It is however too important to be lost to history and the more worthy of record as the noble and daring feat was performed by one of the illustrious maidens of the dark days of 1778 when the cruel savage was laying waste the infant settlements along the Susquehanna from the Blue Juniata to its very source in the mountains and armed men were not considered safe unless in large parties with rifle and knife ever ready for use.  The truth of our narrative is based upon evidence of a character that never for one moment will be doubted as those relating the incident are well known to every school boy in the valley.  Father Hill of Hughesville as he was familiarly termed related the circumstance to the writer within the last year. William Cox Ellis took special pleasure in relating the incident as a part of the unwritten history of the times and of our valley and J Lukens Wallis whose father was an active participator in the struggles of that day also related it in the hearing of the writer. These three patriarchs were born within ten years of the period. In their early manhood they were the associates of the men of that exciting time they all lived from early childhood to be octogenarians within gunshot of the ground passed over by our heroine and knew personally some of the parties saved from the scalping knife by her heroic daring.

 On the 8th day of August 1778 at five o clock in the afternoon intelligence was received at Fort Muncy two miles above Muncy Creek that fourteen reapers protected by a small escort of troops had been attacked near Loyalsock that morning and three of their number killed. Among the mortally wounded was the son of Captain Brady who was shot wounded with spear and tomahawk and scalped yet after the Indians left him walked to the house was next day carried to the fort above Muncy but died of his wounds a few days after. It was under these circumstances that the brave Captain Brady had the call to arms sounded the little garrison was mustered on the parade ground and in a few hurried sentences the events of the morning were related and the inevitable fate of the settlers on Muncy Creek portrayed if not notified at once. The commander's favorite mare was saddled and brought to the front and the question asked, "Who will volunteer to carry the news of danger to our friends? " No one stepped forward.  "Take my mare she is the fastest in the country can easily outrun any Indian pony,  you can notify the remotest settler and she will bring you back before the sun hides herself behind the Bald Eagle mountain. " Still no one stepped from the ranks. "This very night the wily foe serpent like will creep to their very doors and to morrow morning when the first gleam of light rises over the Muncy Hills the torch will be applied to their huts the knife will gleam in the air and scalps be torn from defenseless heads. Who,  who? ", thundered Brady "who will go on this errand of mercy? " " I captain I will apprise them all of their danger, " said a gentle voice on his right. I know the trails full well I can make the circuit of the Gortners, Jacob Alwood the Shaners, David Aspen and the Robbs, and suiting the action to the word Rachel Silverthorn grasped the reins of the faithful animal that stood ready like herself to be sacrificed if necessary in the interest of humanity.  And before the soldiers had time to recover from their astonishment and chagrin she was mounted and flying with the speed of the wind to the nearest cabin on the creek which was on the farm now owned by the heirs of Colonel John Gortner, thence to Alwood's Shaner's and Aspen who lived on the farms now owned by the descendants of Baltser Steck . Her path then led over the land now occupied by the town of Hughesville to a settlement made and occupied at that time by the ancestors of the Robb family then back to the fort. She returned in so short a time that the garrison was as much astonished as they were at her departure. But the heroism necessary to undertake so perilous an undertaking was a sufficient guarantee that the work would be well done And it was well done for we are told that under cover of the dark night that followed every exposed settler in the district was safely housed in the fort. The timely warning given by the brave and beautiful Rachel Silverthorn no doubt saved some of her friends from the cruel tomahawk and scalping knife, and one perhaps in whom she had a double interest as tradition hands down to us the fact that her affianced was among the exposed. 

  The feat was a noble one and as it belongs to the history of our own valley must not be lost.  The name of the brave girl should go down to posterity side by side with that of Lydia Derr, Jane McRea, and other heroines of the dark days of our frontier and our country that they may be held up together as examples of self devotion bravery and noble daring worthy of imitation. 

 The official report of the murder of young Samuel Brady at Loyalsock in the month of August 1778 is from the pen of Colonel Thomas Hartley then in command of the frontier troops.  The unhappy man referred to was Peter Smith For particulars of his trials see sketches of Colonel Hepburn and John Brady.

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Sun Gazette 1949

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On this day in local history, August 8th  - Rachel Silverthorne's Ride