In 1753 Gov. Dinwiddie of Williamsburg, Va. sent Col. George Washington to Fort LeBoeuf, to protest the French occupation of islands claimed by the British.


On his return, Washington recommended that a fort be built at the forks of the Ohio. Dinwiddie sent 40 men to do the job: work had not progressed very far when they were surprised by French and Indians who came down the Allegheny. The British force surrendered and were allowed to depart.


The French built Fort Duquesne (named in honor of the the Governor of Canada). For four and a half years the French held possession of Fort Duquesne and "The Forks of the Ohio". During this time, several battles were fought because the British were trying to regain control of this strategic military region.

  • At Fort Necessity (near Uniontown) in 1754 Washington lost 31 of his 1000 men trying to get back to capture Fort Duquesne. He was forced to capitulate.
  • In 1755 General Edward Braddock, at the head of about 2,000 men, was sent to regain "the Forks of the Ohio". He was defeated and lost half of his forces eight miles from "The Point" at Turtle Creek.
  • A third defeat came in 1758 when Major James Grant, leading a force of 850 British and Colonials, lost a battle at Grant's Hill (site of the Allegheny County Court House), losing about 1/3 of his troops.
  • Finally, in 1758 Gen. John Forbes was sent from England to make another attempt. This was successful. At the approach of Forbes, the French blew up the fortifications and retreated down the Ohio.


The building of Fort Pitt began soon after, in 1758. The British government had long before decided that this site on the "Forks of the Ohio" whould be the most elaborate fort in North America.

Fort Pitt was enclosed by a stockade, and surrounded by a moat. Stone was cut, and brick was made on the site, and timbers were shaped at Saw Mill Run on the Ohio. The fort covered 22 acres, which today would be most of Point State Park.

The blockhouse, which afforded the soldiers further protection, was built in 1764. It commanded most of the Allegheny side of the fort. There were 2 underground passages; one connecting it with the fort, and one leading out to the Monongahela river.

By 1800 the fort was abandoned, and in 1805 the site was purchased by Gen. James O'Hara. It eventually passed into the hands of his grand daughter, Mary Croghan Schenley, who, in 1892 deeded it to the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Presently, it is maintained by the Fort Pitt Society of Daughter of the American Revolution of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.


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