Fort Pitt Museum Website brought to you by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Visit the Fort Pitt Museum and Bushy Run Battlefield Entrance Page

Fort PItt Museum Homepage
Fort Pitt Museum Homepage

History and story of Fort Pitt

Hours and directions to Fort Pitt Museum

Information on exhibits and events at Fort Pitt Museum

Information about Fort Pitt Museum for educators

Visit the Bastion Gift Shop at Fort Pitt Museum

Links of interest

Visit the Bushy Run Battlefield Homepage
Visit the Bushy Run Battlefield Homepage

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Fort Pitt Museum is open during the Point State Park Renovations!

Click here for special directions to visit the museum.


Upcoming Events at Fort Pitt Museum:


"When the French Ruled the Forks: The Heyday of Fort Duquesne"
June 7, 2008, 1:00 pm
Presenters: René Chartrand and Bruce Egli
click here for details on this and other presentations in the seminar series


"The Hinge of History: The Forks of the Ohio Changes Hands", part of a seminar series marking Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary

Click here for details on the full seminar series


Click here for more information on presentations from the Western Pennsylvania Revolutionary War Roundtable


 



Fort Pitt Museum is a member of
French and Indian War 250


1854 “Excavations” of the Point

In 1854 the Pennsylvania Railroad began construction of a freight depot at the Point in Pittsburgh. The work unearthed remnants of Fort Pitt and possibly portions of Fort DuQuesne. The discovery of these remnants coupled with the centennial of the beginning of the French and Indian War generated excitement among the people of Pittsburgh.

Click here to read more from the 1854 newspaper accounts


 

Situated in the re-created Monongahela Bastion at Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum commemorates the strategic importance of the Forks of the Ohio during the Great War for Empire in which British, French, Colonial, and Native American forces struggled for control of North America. Through exhibits and programs, the museum also addresses the important role of Fort Pitt during the American Revolution and the early development of the city of Pittsburgh. The site presents tours, exhibits, educational programs, and publications to broaden understanding of the significance of the area known as "the Point." In meeting this goal, Fort Pitt Museum closely examines the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the various military fortifications established on the site, the many cultures that influenced the development of the region, and the importance of the fur trade and other early commerce.

Fort Pitt Museum, one of twenty-six historic sites administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, contains more than 12,000 square feet of exhibit space, an auditorium, galleries, and a gift shop. Also on the grounds of Point State Park, visitors can tour the Blockhouse, a structure that was once part of the fortifications and is presently owned and operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution; the outline of the fort's Music Bastion; the Flag Bastion overlooking the Monongahela River; and the outline of Fort Duquesne, a French outpost that preceded Fort Pitt. The museum staff is assisted by the Fort Pitt Museum Associates, a volunteer support group.

 


Fort Pitt Museum, one of 26 historic sites and museums on the Pennsylvania Trail of History, is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For a free copy of the Pennsylvania Trail of History visitor guide, call toll-free 1-866-PA TRAIL. For more information on Fort Pitt, phone 412-281-9285 or visit www.phmc.state.pa.us.

 

     
Go to the PHMC Website Paintings by Robert Griffing