"** Information on Forbe's Road???" Topic

Does anybody recommend a website that will give a map overlay of General Forbe's Road over a modern day road map?
Thanks much,
Tom Semian
Avalon, Pa. 15202

I don't know about any websites – in the '60s a Scoutmaster here mapped it out from Bedford to Ligonier, but he used ridiculous directions, like cross the road at the big tree and go to the left through the farm field, expecting that it would never change. It crisscrosses Rt. 30 between the two towns, generally running South of 30 between Bedford and the Gap and north of 30 from there to Ligonier. I know where bits and pieces of it are, but haven't been able to decipher the directions enough to know the whole route.

We have a book on it at the museum gift shop. You should stop down. I can also talk to some of the volunteers. There is one there that really knows where the road went before.

Which museum?

There's probably no such thing.

This website is dedicated to publicizing the 'Forbes Trail' as they call it. They have a Forbes Trail Guidebook for sale that covers modern tourist destinations in seven 'gateway towns' in Pennsylvania:

link

This site gives more details of the Guidebook:

link

but hints that there may be no detailed map in the book,

"Two-hundred-fifty years later, much of Forbes' trail has either been paved over or bypassed. Actually, historians are not completely certain of the precise route, but through exhaustive study ofmaps, land records and survey plats that contained dotted representations of road, the Forbes Road route has been reconstructed. Generally, it's within a few miles of the Lincoln Highway (Route 30) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike."

I visited Fort Ligonier this fall on my way to Lancaster. The Lincoln Highway is a pokey state route through some pretty country. It's long, and you'll average 30 mph. Everybody knows the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Here's a picture of the end papers from a book titled Drums In The Forest. The Forbes Road is about halfway down on the left page. Sorry the picture isn't better.

Maybe you can pull it down and enlarge it for a better look.

DM

Tom:

Much of the Forbes Road parallels Route 30, but not exactly. Is there something specific you are looking for?

historygamer,

The reason why I am curious is because I live just north of Pittsburgh. Just yesterday, my wife and I went for a drive out along route 22, to Altoona. Around Delmont, Pa. I saw a historical marker stating that section of Route 22 was part of Forbes Road.
I am from this area and always thought that Forbes road ran along/close to U.S. Route 30--it's entire length.
I can only assume that General Forbes turned his road north to avoid moving through the same area around Turtle Creek that General Braddock was ambushed in 1755?
I am also curious as to about where along Route 30 did the original Forbes road turn north-west, away from the present day Route 30?
Tom Semian
Avalon, Pa. 15202

Good question. I can't answer all of it, but some. Forbes army was working on an advanced "redoubt" around present day Hannastown. This is where they launched the famous attack made by Grant. It is near the present day Hannastown Fort (probably where you saw the sign). To my knowledge, no one knows for sure exactly where the redoubt/road was, but they believe it was close to there. The redoubt was never finished due to Grant's defeat and the forces falling back to Ligonier, I believe. The French attacked there in early October, and in turn fell back when the British did not panic. The subsequent advance in November was fast, in four columns, so they may not have fully finished a road.

Note later, I believe Bouquet deviated from the Forbes road and set up a new road, thus why he ended in at Bushy Run. Again, no one is sure where that road was either. It used to be reported it was part of the gravel path up to the flag pole, but subsequent studies revealed that was an auto road put in during the 1920s/30s sometime to access the historical marker at the top of that hill. It is also uncertain that the present day Bushy Run battlefield park is even the correct site of the battle of Bushy Run. But that is another topic. :-)