1989
The Scott Conservancy was established, to address concerns of environmental
protection, historic preservation and the promotion of public appreciation and respect for the environment.
In July,
on each of two successive days, an angry mob of Whiskey Boys residing in our
area marched through the Scott Conservancy's Kane Woods and the surrounding area
to "Bower Hill," the plantation home of the Federal Inspector of the
Excise, General John Neville, which was located at the top of Kane Blvd. near
Kane Hospital. There was shooting on both days between the insurgents and
defenders of the Neville plantation. Two local insurgents, James McFarlane
and Oliver Miller, were killed during the attacks on "Bower
Hill." The insurgents burned Neville's home and outbuildings.
Neville, a Federalist, narrowly escaped the grasp of the crowd.
It was the
violent reaction of the people in Western Pennsylvania that compelled President
Washington, in September, to call out 12, 950 militia men to suppress the
rebellion. The troops met little resistance. Instead of resistance,
the troops were met only with the sullen defiance of "liberty poles"
erected along the army's route.
Following
the rebellion, of the rebels who were taken prisoner, two were convicted but
were later pardoned, and the excise tax was repealed. The revolution became a
"resolution" for the young democracy.
1791
On March
3, as a way to pay debts incurred by the colonies during the Revolutionary War,
the Congress passed a federal excise tax on whiskey produced in the United
States. Cash was something rare on the western frontier. The farmers
had little currency to pay the tax, and turning their grain into whiskey was the
only practical way to get their crop to market. As a result, organized
resistance to the tax began to grow in Western Pennsylvania and surrounding
areas. The resistance was increased by many inflammatory articles written
by John Holcroft under the pen name of "Tom the Tinker." The
insurgents, who at the time were commonly called "Whiskey Boys,"
destroyed property of farmers who were willing to pay the tax, and Federal
revenue officials were beaten, tarred, and feathered.
1790
The new national government of the United States, led by the Federalists, was
attempting to establish itself.
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