Fort Pitt Museum

A History of the Point The Fort Pitt Museum is located in a re-created eighteenth-century bastion of the famous British fort on the Forks of the Ohio River in Point State Park, Pittsburgh. On this point, the British and French erected the fortifications that protected their claims to the early West and the Indian trade. The exhibits recount the struggle that exploded into the French and Indian War and develop the story of Pittsburgh's founding.

The Fort Pitt Museum interprets for citizens and visitors the strategic importance of the “Forks of the Ohio” during the French and Indian War, during which British, colonial, French, and Native American forces struggled for control of North America, and during the subsequent founding and development of the city of Pittsburgh. The museum's goals include presenting exhibits, tours, educational programs, and publications that broaden understanding and appreciation of the significance of this site, also known as “the Point.”

Major themes to be presented include: the French and Indian War during the period 1754-1763 and its participants, interpreted collaboratively with Bushy Run Battlefield and other period sites in the region; the military fortifications on and uses of “the Point;” the many cultures that influenced the development of “the Point” during its history; “the Point's” role as a center for the fur trade and early river commerce; reclamation and historic preservation of the sites as part of the Pittsburgh Renaissance and the creation of Point State Park; and to work with the Fort Pitt Museum Associates and other groups whose valued guidance and support enhance the mission and goals of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.