from
Fort Pitt Museum Associates
Number 2: February 2008
November Meeting of FPMA Board
The reconstituted FPMA Board met for the first time on Saturday, November 17. All members but two were present. The Board heard reports on activities to date during the 2007-08 fiscal year, as well as a financial report for the first quarter of this fiscal year. Fort Pitt Museum Site Administrator Chuck Smith briefed the Board on the Museum’s recently developed strategic plan and on upcoming activities, after which there was a general discussion of how the FPMA supports the Museum.
Vice President Bob Nipar then presented an overview of the FPMA’s conference series for 2008, “The Hinge of History” (see below for details). The Board resolved to explore a new logo for the organization, a membership development campaign, and a new mission statement and by-laws, as well as ways in which FPMA can assist in promoting the Fort Pitt Museum. The next meeting will be held on March 15, 2008. Please address any suggestions or questions to Donn Neal in care of the Fort Pitt Museum.
Joining the FPMA Board in November was Joan Mancuso of Erie, Pennsylvania. A teacher whose specialized training was in art education, Joan has exploited the new possibilities of digital photography to capture images of historical sites and reenactments on calendars that combine art and history in striking ways.
Seminar Series: “The Hinge of History: The Forks of the Ohio Changes Hands”
As 2008 is the 250th anniversary of the capture of Fort Duquesne and the founding of Pittsburgh, it seems fitting for FPMA to observe this milestone by taking a fresh look at the peoples and issues that figured in those events through a series of seminars on these topics. We see this series not just as a culmination of the anniversary events marking the most significant – and lasting – change at the Forks of the Ohio but as the beginning of a multi-year effort to study and reconsider the events that transpired here throughout the second half of the 18th century.
To the planners, it
seemed best to focus on four major themes in these 2008 seminars. The first
theme is the culture and diplomacy of the Native Americans who lived in the
area of the Forks before the collision of French and British interests took
place here. Three sessions will explore these issues on Saturday, April 19.
Mike Galban and his wife Tonia Loran, both of whom are Native Americans, will
describe and demonstrate a variety of aspects of Native American culture;
their children will also participate in the programs. The other contributor
on April 19 is Alan Gutchess, a gunsmith who is known for his extensive research
on the material culture of Eastern American Indians.
In June 2008, our attention will shift to the military and civilian forces
of France, whose brief command of the Forks of the Ohio is too often overshadowed
by that of their successors. Rene Chartrand and Bruce Egli, both of whom are
experts on the French presence in North America, will be the presenters on
Saturday, June 7.
September 13-14 marks the 250th anniversary of General James Grant’s defeat near Fort Duquesne in 1758, an event that was the precursor to the British capture of the ruins of that abandoned fortress. Ian McCullough has been invited to discuss Grant and his actions – and their consequences. We hope to be able to include in the weekend’s events a number of suitable outdoor events that will help to commemorate this significant anniversary.
The climax of FPMA’s 2008 seminar series will be, of course, its salute in November to the British assumption of control of the Forks. The focus will be, naturally, on General John Forbes, whose achievement it was to oversee the successful campaign to take Fort Duquesne – and who named the community he found at the Forks Pittsburgh to honor the architect of the British war effort, Prime Minister William Pitt. The principal speaker will be Douglas R. Cubbison, Command Historian of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, who is publishing a book on Forbes in 2008.
All four seminars will be held at Fort Pitt Museum. Fees for each event are $30 ($20 for FPMA members) or $100 for all four ($60 for FPMA members). If you are interested in attending, or if you want to be placed on the mailing list for additional information, send your name and address to Donn Neal at the Museum.
FPMA Aids Fort Pitt Museum in Acquisitions
One of the unsung roles that the FPMA performs is that of adding to the historic resources of the Fort Pitt Museum. At my request, Doug MacGregor of the Museum’s staff has penned this article outlining some of the recent acquisitions that the FPMA has enabled the Museum to add to its holdings. DN
You can never go home again, the adage goes, and it often holds true. We at Fort Pitt Museum are happy that has not been the case recently: over the past few years we have been able to welcome home the return of a number of historical objects and documents that were created at Fort Pitt or that played roles in making the history we interpret at the Fort Pitt Museum.
We all know the interpretation
of historic sites is greatly enhanced by walking the grounds where historic
figures once trod and where history was created, but it is also exciting to
see the very objects that were used in historic times. There’s a special
value in seeing some objects – documents, in particular – that
still speak to use about the events of those times. They are true witnesses
to history and a tangible link to the past. Although many historic sites have
been fortunate to have inherited or acquired such objects directly from their
sites, Fort Pitt Museum has not been so lucky: until recently, in fact, we
had very few pieces tied directly to Fort Pitt or its French predecessor,
Fort Duquesne. Now, with funds from the Fort Pitt Museum Associates, we have
been able to acquire some wonderful items that shed light on our history.
One of these treasures, purchased at auction, is an accounting ledger book
detailing payments made to British officers at Fort Pitt during the early
1760s. Payments to these officers include materials issued to the rank-and-file
troops at Fort Pitt. The minute listings give us an insight into daily life
at our fortress and a greater understanding of how those who were risking
their lives in military service actually lived those lives here at Fort Pitt.
Other acquisitions have been lists of items traded to Native Americans and
of prisoners returned by them to the fort. Our most recent addition, a letter
written at Fort Duquesne in 1755 by the French commander, Contrecoeur, is
especially significant because there are so few items that actually originated
there.
Other recent purchases made possible by the Associates have included a number of Revolutionary War documents relating to Fort Pitt and warfare in the western theater. One of them is an inventory of weapons used aboard an armed ship. (It is not well known that the commanders at Fort Pitt launched several missions along the Ohio River to protect the region during the war.) This document enables us to see how the munitions-poor United States acquired weapons to protect the frontier. The weapons were a mixture of trade muskets, civilian hunting pieces, and rifles, many of them from North Carolina. One weapon of particular interest is a damaged swivel gun described as being from “the big Meadows,” which suggests that it may refer to one of the swivel guns used by George Washington at Fort Necessity in 1754.
Another document from this time period is a letter to General Edward Hand from Joshua Meeks, informing of attacks in the region and requesting supplies. Meeks was a local militia leader who helped organize the defense of the region. A PHMC historical marker nomination is in progress to commemorate the site of his home in Allegheny County. Still another gem added to our holdings is a listing of persons made prisoner in Pittsburgh during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. This era of our history has been difficult to portray through artifacts, so the list will fit wonderfully with the oath of allegiance already on display. The oath was also purchased, by the way, with funds from the Fort Pitt Museum Associates. (Editor’s note: The Museum received a generous grant for purchasing artifacts some years ago, and FPMA administers this grant.)
Once these priceless original documents are received, the Museum performs condition analyses and reports, plus any necessary conservation, before they are put on display or otherwise added to the holdings. Sometimes the FPMA also underwrites conservation activities that are performed by outside experts – yet another important service of your organization to the Museum.
In another category,
but also important to mention, is the purchase the Associates made of microfilm
of the papers of General John Forbes. This resource will join the many others
housed in the Museum’s library and archives, some of which also came
to us through the generosity of the Associates and its members. Both staff
and researchers will now have the General’s papers readily available.
We at Fort Pitt Museum are grateful for the willingness of your organization
to help us by investing in unique and almost priceless historical objects
and documents – items that enable us to interpret the history of the
Forks of the Ohio to our visitors. Thank you for all that you do!
Wanted: New Members!
Do you know someone who might be interested in joining the Fort Pitt Museum Associates? Just pass the individual’s name along to Donn Neal (donnneal@yahoo.com) and he will follow through. Sorry, there are no prizes, but you will have the satisfaction of having introduced someone to this valuable organization – and vice versa!
* * * * *
Six-Month Financial Report for Fort Pitt Museum Associates, 2007-08
(July 1 – December 31, 2007)
| INCOME | ||||
| Museum Shop Sales | $9,267.46 |
|||
| Interest | 598.36 |
|||
| Honoraria | 395.00 |
|||
| Membership Dues | 566.00 |
|||
| Refund of Prior Year Expenses | 2,983.89 |
A | ||
Total
Income |
$13,810.71 |
|||
Expenses |
||||
| Museum Shop Purchases | 6,651.11 |
|||
| Artifacts | 7,680.15 |
|||
| Forbes Papers | 284.00 |
|||
| Events | 684.78 |
B | ||
| Operating Expenses | ||||
| Insurance | $4,151.67 |
|||
| Bank Fees | 508.21 |
|||
| Services | 305.00 |
|||
| Office Expense | 123.00 |
|||
| Total Operating Expense | 5,087.88 |
|||
Total
Expenses |
$20,297.92 |
|||
Net
Income |
($6,487.21) |
|||
Footnotes: |
Please note: As the story on pages 2 and 3 of this newsletter describes,
FPMA draws funds for purchases of artifacts and documents from a restricted
account it manages on behalf of the Museum. The expenditures in lines 2 and
3 above (a total of $7,964.15) reflect such purchases made during this six-month
period; without these purchases, FPMA’s report would show a considerable
surplus ($1,476.94) for the first half of the 2007-08 fiscal year. In addition,
future financial statements will report significant refunds of overpayments
for insurance coverage during previous years; the exact amounts are currently
being determined in negotiations with our carrier.
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