Western Pennsylvania and the vicinity of Pittsburgh was a wilderness frontier at the time of the Revolutionary War and for years afterward. The few settlers who ventured into this area not only endured the hardships of pioneer life, but they also had hostile encounters with Native Americans.
In his work, History of Indiana County Pennsylvania: 1745-1880, editor Walter F. Arms provides a map of the county. 1 He indicates the location of two blockhouses within Buffington Township.