Following up from my last post, this was the last stop of our road trip. We finished our museum tour and it was time to walk through the back door and check out the actual rebuilt Fort Ligoner. Coming out, you are immediately at the edge of the fort.
“As summer waned in 1758, the site of a new fortification was chosen by the British army that overlooked the Loyalhanna Creek. It was the last in a string of fortifications along the newly cut Forbes Road that would ultimately stretch from Philadelphia to the site of French Fort Duquesne, the ultimate objective of the Forbes Campaign. When Fort Duquesne fell to the British army in late November of 1758, construction of a new fort, Fort Pitt, began, and the land on which it rose was named Pittsburgh. Find out more about how Fort Ligonier made Pittsburgh possible as you explore the grounds of the finest reconstructed fortification from the French and Indian War.”
“The story of Fort Ligonier is the story of early America. This stalwart fortification served as an outpost for the British Empire throughout the French and Indian War and Pontiac’s War. In its time as an active garrison, the fort was never taken. Learn more about this remarkable fortress from a remarkable period in history.”
https://www.fortligonier.org/fort/
The reconstructed fort is very impressive. It represents ninety percent of the original fort. The remaining ten procreant is private land, so not available for the park service to use. You can actually see the houses right next to the fort area, as you walk around the parapet. In any case, it is very impressive.
This is very clearly one of the best reconstructions in the United States. They have rebuild all the outer walls, out buildings, main fort and interior buildings. Each building has plenty of artifacts, so you can get a living history view of each building.
On a funny note, as we were going through each historic building, we went into one to see that if was a hidden large bathroom for visitors. It was funny, as it was something I just did not expect. One minute you are walking through timber structures and next thing you know you are in a modern bathroom. This is somewhat rare, as you normally have to go back to a museum for this, so this is a nice touch.
The outer wall contains all the artillery positions. Not only the positions, but a very large collection of artillery pieces of the period. I am not sure that I have ever seen this many 18th century cannons in one place! Some are in the positions, while others are around the parameter as display pieces.
The main fort (I guess this would be a keep, if it were a castle) also has each position built, along with all the interior buildings. Each is set up to it’s original purpose as a living history space. Each also is well labelled, so you know what you are looking at.
With that, the tour was complete and we headed home. I have to say, w e saved the best F&I location for last. I think if we had started at Ligoner, we might have been disappointed in the other locations. So, if you are planning to do a trip yourself, start at other locations and end at Ligoner!
Outside the fort, you will find various outbuildings, such as the hospital and bakeries. In addition, there are a number of wagons artillery support vehicles. I particularly liked the wagon limber with the five mortars!
- Manteuffel