During the Revolutionary War, Colonel William Graham lived in a large log hewn home. It was fortified, offering local inhabitants a place to go for safety.
In Sep 1780, a group of Tories led by John Burke, attacked the fort. Although there were others there, the only ones in a position to fight were William Graham, David Dickey and William's stepson William Twitty. Surviving accounts vary, but there seems to have been a couple dozen Tories demanding surrender of the fort.
At one point, according to the stories, Burke approached the structure, placed the muzzle of his gun into a crack and discharged the weapon. Seeing this, William Twitty�s seventeen year old sister Susan is said to have pushed her brother down to save him from the bullet. Susan then encouraged William to immediately return the volley out of the aperture as Burke reloaded. Burke was shot through the head. With Burke dead and others wounded, the Tories retreated.