Long Description:
From the Fort Pitt Museum
web
site:
The Blockhouse
The small structure popularly known as "the blockhouse" (in
actuality a strong defensive structure outside Fort Pitt itself
that provided covering fire in any attack) is not only the last
surviving building of the original fort and Pittsburgh's earliest
building, but the oldest authenticated structure west of the
Allegheny Mountains. Dating to 1764, it was used for many other
purposes during its long history. Today, the restored blockhouse,
which is administered by the Daughters of the American Revolution
(DAR), serves as a final link to the 18 acres that formed the first
site of the city of Pittsburgh. There is no admission charge to the
blockhouse.
Overview:
Few places in America can rival the Point, a small area at the
forks of the Ohio River, for historical significance. The long
contest (1755-1763) between France and Great Britain that started
here would develop into an epic struggle between the two imperial
powers--what many regard as the first truly world war. On the fate
of the Point would hinge that of half of the North American
continent, as well as the destiny of the republic that would come
into existence in 1776.
During the mid-1700s, the French and the British erected
fortifications that protected their claims to the early West and
served as bases for their trade with the Native Americans. Even
after the departure of the French in 1758, the area retained
significant strategic value as Americans, the British, and Native
Americans wrestled for ultimate control. Meanwhile, the city of
Pittsburgh took root and flourished, growing into a major
industrial and commercial center that engulfed the Point.
Redevelopment of the area during the mid-20th century included
creation of a new state park that enables visitors to experience
what the Point was like during its early years.
The Beginnings of Pittsburgh:
Once General Forbes secured the Point for Great Britain, he
commissioned a temporary fort (sometimes called Fort Mercer, after
its commander) to replace the one the French had left in ashes and
ordered that a new, permanent fortification be built of earth,
stone, timber, and brick on a site just east of the ruins of Fort
Duquesne. Forbes named the area "Pittsbourgh" in honor of William
Pitt, the British Prime Minister who had led the successful war
against France.
Almost immediately the official name of Pittsbourgh evolved into
"Pittsburgh" and the fort itself gradually became known as "Fort
Pitt". One of the largest British strongholds in North America (17
1/2 acres in all, 2 1/2 acres within the walls), it became the
center of British military and trading activities west of the
Allegheny Mountains. Though it was never attacked by the French,
Fort Pitt (along with nearby Fort Ligonier and a handful of smaller
outposts) was among the few British forts that successfully
withstood a Native American siege during the conflict known as
Pontiac's War. During the siege, which lasted from May 27 to August
9, 1763, hundreds of people took refuge inside Fort Pitt. Only when
Colonel Henry Bouquet led British troops to a victory over Native
American forces in the battle of Bushy Run was the siege
lifted.
Fort Pitt and the American Revolution:
With the French threat gone, Great Britain could reduce its
military presence on the frontier and evacuate Fort Pitt, which was
proving difficult and expensive to maintain. In October of 1772
they sold the fort and its buildings to William Thompson and
Alexander Ross for £50 New York currency. Which civil authority
would now govern the area was unclear, though, for Pennsylvania and
Virginia both believed that is today the southwest corner of
Pennsylvania fell within their territory. In 1774, Virginia began
to enforce its claim to be the region "west of Laurel Hill": John
Connolly took over the fort, rebuilt it, and named it Fort Dunmore
after the governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore. (This name did not
catch on.) Supporters of Virginia and those of Pennsylvania clashed
repeatedly through May of 1775.
When word of the battles at Lexington and Concord reached
Pittsburgh that month, the Virginia and Pennsylvania factions were
able to work together to support the American Revolution.
Conferences with Native Americans, held at fort Pitt, achieved a
tenuous neutrality between the new Continental government and the
Native American nations in the region. Fort Pitt was maintained by
Virginia's revolutionary government until 1777, when an increase in
attacks by Native Americans allied with the British and American
Loyalists prompted the Continental Congress to appoint General
Edward Hand to take control of Fort Pitt, which under Hand and his
successors served as the Western District headquarters of the
Continental Army.
Troops and supplies were gathered at Fort Pitt for the defense
of the new nation's western frontier, and a series of military
campaigns would venture west from the fort at the Forks of the
Ohio. In addition, negotiations with Native American nations in the
region continued to be held at Fort Pitt. The first peace treaty
the United States ever signed with Native Americans was negotiated
and signed at Fort Pitt on September 17, 1778.
Fort Pitt's Final Years:
When the American Revolution ended, Fort Pitt and West Point were
the only military fortifications that the United States Army
maintained. Fort Pitt would continue as a supply depot and base of
operations until 1792, when its condition had deteriorated so much
that a new fort, called Fort Fayette, was built to replace it.
(This fort was located near Ninth Street and Penn Avenue in
Pittsburgh). The old fort was finally dismantled and salvaged, its
remnants used by Pittsburghers in their construction of more
permanent housing for themselves. Soon the site of Fort Pitt was
being used for other purposes.
