'Bloody Spring' 266th Anniversary

NEWS RELEASE

John L. Moore to give talk on 'Bloody Spring' incident

Monday, Aug. 29, will mark the 266th anniversary of the 1756 killing by Indians of a Pennsylvania soldier guarding a herd of cows near the Bloody Spring in Sunbury. This happened about half a mile from where Fort Augusta was under construction.

Free and open to the public, a special program about the Bloody Spring incident will be held at the headquarters of the Northumberland County Historical Society at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28.

“The story of Sunbury’s ‘Bloody Spring’ has been the subject of lore and legend for 250 years,” said Northumberland author John L. Moore. “I’ll give a 20-minute talk outlining the historical facts, which are very colorful.”

At the heart of the story were two teen-aged soldiers who wandered away from the fort to gather ripe plums growing in an old orchard that had been part of the Native American town of Shamokin.

People who attend the presentation will be able to view Fort Augusta artifacts on display in the historical society’s museum. These include logs from the fort’s stockade walls.

After the program, interested people will drive over to visit the Bloody Spring, along Memorial Drive, a short distance south of Shikellamy Avenue. An historical marker stands at the site.

The Northumberland County Historical Society  is located at 1150 N. Front St., Sunbury. Parking is in the rear.