Fort Pitt Museum

Fort Pitt Museum is a historical museum located in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the meeting point of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. The site occupies the location of the original British Fort Pitt, constructed around 1759-1761 during the colonial era.

The museum interprets the French and Indian War, British colonial military presence, and early westward expansion through exhibits, artifact collections, and archaeological displays. The adjacent Fort Pitt Blockhouse, dating to about 1764, stands on the site and is a primary physical remnant visitors come to see. The Point location also provides riverfront trails and clear views of the confluence of the three rivers.

The original Fort Pitt was built by British forces after the capture of the earlier French position in the region and served as a strategic garrison and trading hub through the late 18th century. Over time the fort complex was altered and much of it demolished; archaeological work and historic interpretation on the site document those changes and the fort’s role in colonial and early American history.

The museum and blockhouse sit at the tip of the Point in downtown Pittsburgh, within Point State Park and immediately adjacent to the riverfront. The site is in the urban core of Pittsburgh at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers where they form the Ohio River.

• Best views: Sits at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers where the Ohio River begins, offering clear panoramic views of the three rivers and the Point State Park fountain.
• Historic surviving structure: The on-site blockhouse dates to about 1764 and is the principal surviving structure from the original fort complex, visible from the museum grounds.

What to See #

• Fort Pitt Blockhouse: Surviving 18th-century timber blockhouse located on the museum site; built about 1764 and one of the oldest extant structures in Pittsburgh.
• Fort Pitt Museum galleries: Museum building and interpretive galleries that present artifacts, dioramas, and archaeological finds related to the colonial frontier and the French and Indian War.
• Fort site and park grounds: Outdoor site within Point State Park including visible earthwork outlines and markers indicating the location of the original fort at the tip of the Point.