 Located along the Forbes road, a military road built under the command of Brigadier General John Forbes in 1758, the town became an important rest stop along the east-west route that eventually stretched from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.In 1794, Federal troops passed through and quartered at the town's Barrett Hotel on the way to quell the Whiskey Insurrection.Until 1796, Youngstown, often referred to as Martinsburg, had been randomly settled, with various people making claims to the land.