North Strabane History Noted on Marker

We’ve all traveled along Morganza Road, but did you ever wonder where the road name came from? 

That was the name of Col. George Morgan’s house when he lived in the area that is now from 1796 until his death in 1810.  

One of Pennsylvania’s 2,000 historical markers is placed along Morganza Road at the intersection of West McMurray to commemorate Morgan’s contributions to the history of Pennsylvania and our country. Approximately 300 feet to the east of the marker, the location of his home is marked by a monument constructed with stones taken from the actual house.

George Morgan earned his fame during the American Revolutionary War when he was commissioned a colonel and assigned to Fort Pitt to oversee diplomacy with Native American tribes, including the Lenape, Shawnee and others. The American rebels hoped to gain the support of the Indians and Morgan was critical to that mission.

After the Revolutionary War ended, Morgan moved to the Ohio River Valley and was later given land by the Spanish in Missouri, where he mapped out his new colony. Unsatisfied, he returned to Pennsylvania when he inherited land from his brother, Dr. John Morgan, founder of the American Philosophical Society.

During the time he lived here, Morgan was visited by Aaron Burr, former vice president, founding father and slayer of Alexander Hamilton. Burr was hoping to enlist Morgan's support for a military expedition and accidentally disclosed a conspiracy. Morgan wrote a letter to President Thomas Jefferson, setting in motion the effort that would eventually lead to Burr's arrest and trial. 

Since 1946, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has administered a program of historical markers to capture the memory of people, places, and events that have affected the lives of Pennsylvanians.

Watch Patch in future weeks for information about other area markers.