About Us
Historic Fort Cherry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the history of the communities of the Fort Cherry School District in northern Washington County and western Allegheny County, Pennsylvania into the 21st century through the installation of roadside historical markers and commemorative plaques, compelling storytelling, well-researched, easy-to-read online blog articles, an online database of hard-to-find local history sources, educational and outreach events, collaboration with local historical societies, and more. Producing content that educates and entertains a general audience and younger generations while still maintaining historical accuracy is our main goal.
​
Where are we?
Based in northern Washington County, Pennsylvania, about 20-miles south-west of Pittsburgh, Historic Fort Cherry covers the areas in and surrounding the Fort Cherry School District. The focus is on Mount Pleasant and Robinson Townships, Midway and McDonald Boroughs, village of Hickory, and the many other distinct communities that surround them.
Why?
We felt it necessary to compile as accurate and in-depth information as possible about this history of this area in a way that is accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Since most sources on local history are confined to library and historical society archive rooms, government file cabinets, and in the minds of our community members, compiling them all in one place seemed like the right thing to do.
To many in today’s world, history, especially on the seemingly mundane surface of local, small town lore, can seem dry and boring. We understand this and hope to offer this information in an interesting and compelling manner. Throughout many of our articles, we provide representative illustrations created through our interpretation to help better paint a picture of the scenes that would otherwise never be seen. In understanding this history, readers will have a much better understanding of the community, its identity, and how it has shaped those around it.
Since this project is intended to be a public resource and collaboration, we invite anyone who wishes to become involved to reach out!​​​​
​
History
Historic Fort Cherry was created in part to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the construction of the frontier fort known as Cherry’s Fort, which was built following the outbreak of Lord Dunmore’s War in 1774. That same year, future-president of the United States George Washington received a patent for his land holdings in what is now Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County.
Efforts to commemorate this fort have been in the works for over 90 years. In 1932, the Fort Cherry Association was founded by direct descendants of the Cherry, Rankin, and McCarty families to help commemorate and protect the site of Cherry’s Fort, and educate the public on its importance to the local pioneer community of the late 18th century. We do not know details of the fate of this association, but it seems not to have persisted through the 1940s, and eventually became lost to history. We now hope to revitalize this association’s efforts.
​
Our Future​
We hope to one day create a dedicated space for public education and research made up of a visitor’s center and museum that includes full-scale recreations of lost local historic landmarks like Cherry’s Fort and the David & Margaret Reed house that would allow visitors to take a step back in time to appreciate the history of the land and its previous inhabitants. With your help, we can make this happen.​