Cranberry Township Historical Society

Dr. Carl Robertson, President and CEO of the Providence Plantation Foundation, will be joining us on Sunday April 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center - Activity Room 2-3, to discuss his book entitled: "Washington's Perilous Path." In that book he documents the first public mission of 21-year-old George Washington.

In 1753, George Washington passed through Murdering Town while on a mission to Fort Le Boeuf about six months before the French and Indian War began. Among his major objectives in the book, Dr. Robertson seeks to finally solve the mysteries of the location, name, people, and end of Murdering Town. This notorious Indian town was where Washington and his party slept one night on their northbound journey to demand the French departure from the region. Another mystery he seeks to solve is the course Washington and Gist took just below Murdering Town when they "left the [Venango] Path" on their southbound travel to reach the Allegheny.

Although it is no mystery, the author also attempts to explain the significance of the two near-death experiences of Washington within that thirty-mile travel and what it tells us about the character and competence of the Adjutant from Virginia. (Preceding paragraphs borrowed from the Providence Plantation website and modifed slightly for use here.)

Please join us to go back in time and learn about one of America’s greatest founding fathers. The program is free to the public. The Historical Society will also provide free snacks and refreshments for those in attendance.