Fort Pitt

NOTE: From here you can walk to stops 4, 5, & 6.

Fort Pitt, named for British Prime Minister William Pitt, marked the end of Forbes Road, a 200 mile pathway cut through the wilderness of central and western Pennsylvania.

The fort was built between 1759 and 1761, and was the largest British fort in Pennsylvania. The fort was a point of controversy for the British and the Indians. This region was the home of the Indians, and they were wary that British would respect it as such, as promised in the Easton Treaty of 1758.

In 1759, British soldiers, laborers, and settlers congregated to present-day Point State Park to construct Fort Pitt. The fort was an important stop on the fur trade, and became a lifeline for Delaware, Shawnee, and Seneca Indians who relied on diplomatic presents from the fort's storehouses. British commander Sir Jeffery Amherst revoked these privileges and, thus, alienated these groups.

Amherst's actions sparked a large uprising in summer 1763, against the British stationed along the Great Lakes and in Ohio County. Forts LeBoeuf, Presque Isle, and Venango fell to the Ohio Indians in June, who then turned their attention to Fort Pitt where hundreds of civilians took refuge. The fort was cut off from the outside world for over a month, where people inside awaited help, even though they weren't sure it was coming.

Colonel Henry Bouquet's army was on its way to lend aid. Marching along the Forbes Road from Carlisle, his army engaged the Indians at Bushy Run, and lifted the siege of Fort Pitt on August 6, 1763. The British abandoned this post nine years later, though it was reoccupied during the Revolutionary Era.

The Fort Pitt roadside marker was dedicated on Friday, May 8, 1959. It reads: "Built by the English, 1759-61, to replace Mercer's Fort on 1758-59. Named for Prime Minister William Pitt of Great Britain. British stronghold in Ohio Valley and center for settlement."

Now for the fun part! Take a walk through the Fort Pitt Museum, and get a more in-depth look at the life and times of the Fort Pitt era. Be sure to pick up a scavenger hunt paper (or download and print your own at home!) to hunt through the museum and win a prize!