Peter Mikhailovich Skarzhinsky was the founder of the noble branch of the Skarzhinskys in the Kherson province. From the 1770s of the 18th century, he served as a lieutenant in the cavalry units of the Russian army and participated in Russia's wars with Turkey and the Polish confederates in 1769 and 1774. In 1785, as a colonel, he led the Bug Cossack regiments and became the first appointed ataman of the Bug Cossack army. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791, he displayed heroism during the storming of Ochakov and the defense of the Kinburn fortress, for which he was awarded the Order of Saint George.

In 1790 and 1792, P.M. Skarzhinsky commanded the Astrakhan Cossack regiment with the rank of brigadier. In 1793 and 1796, he served as the governor of the Caucasian governorate, which included the Astrakhan province, which is why he was sometimes referred to as the Astrakhan governor. In 1797, he retired with the rank of major general.

Skarzhinsky was married to Ulyana Grigoryevna Bulatsel, a representative of a noble Moldavian family. As a dowry, he received the estate of Trikraty in the Yelisavetgrad district of the Kherson province, to which he later added neighboring lands acquired for his service. By the end of his life, he became a large landowner, and he had two sons, Nikolai and Viktor, and a daughter, Lydia.

Peter Mikhailovich is considered one of the founders of viticulture and winemaking in the Stavropol region. He acquired the estate of Caucasian Usvyat, where the best grape varieties were brought from France, successfully acclimatizing in the Prikum lowland. According to local legends, the first wine was sent to Catherine the Great and received her high praise.

Skarzhinsky actively engaged in the improvement of his estate Trikraty, where a church was built in 1797. He likely passed on his interest in gardening and afforestation to his son. Peter Mikhailovich Skarzhinsky passed away in 1805.