Fort Pitt

The For Pitt Museum, along with the Bushy Run Battlefield site, provide a visual way to understand Pennsylvania's participation in the French and Indian War, other history of the area, and how the city of Pittsburgh was founded. The visual displays really bring the era to light. The model of Fort Pitt, which is over 15 feet wide, is remarkable and gives the visitor a real understanding of what the fort looked like. The displays and information gave lots of information not only about the American soldiers who manned the fort, but the other groups of people involved in its history including the French who joined with the Native Americans for the French and Indian War, and the use of the fort after the revolutionary war ended.

The museum also demonstrates the strategic importance of the location of Pittsburgh. Three rivers come together in Pittsburgh, and during colonial times, that made Fort Pitt an important site. Whoever held Fort Pitt had access to all three rivers. While most of the fort is now gone, Bouquet's Blockhouse remains. Built in 1764, it was designed to be a place soldiers or other people could retreat to during a battle for safety.

Their displays and talks showed what it was like to be a soldier during those times. This fort saw many wars and battles, including, in addition to the French and Indian wars, the Whiskey Rebellion and the American Revolution. Because of this, the fort exhibit, along with the Blockhouse, are like reliving a time in our history of dramatic changes and major expansion. Fort Pitt defended the area effectively and allowed westward expansion to continue in Pennsylvania.

The interactive displays are interesting and informative, and the video explained background information about how the different groups of people in the area lived. Of the entire display, what I found most interesting were the Blockhouse and the casemates. I thought these things brought real-life understanding to the history of this fort.