Fort Pitt Museum to Host Public Programs and New Exhibition
One of the most affordable family-friendly cultural experiences in the region, the Fort Pitt Museum tells the story of the Point’s role during pivotal moments in American history, including the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and as the birthplace of Pittsburgh.
This summer, the Fort Pitt Museum – part of the Smithsonian-affiliated Senator John Heinz History Center’s family of museums – will host an engaging lineup of events and a new exhibition that will bring 18th-century Pittsburgh history to life. Located in Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum tells the story of the Point’s role during pivotal moments in American history, including the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and as the birthplace of Pittsburgh.
Fort Pitt to Unveil Major Exhibition on American Indians from Western Pa.
The Fort Pitt Museum will take visitors on an in-depth exploration of the history and culture of American Indian tribes who once called Western Pa. home inside its new exhibition, Homelands: Native Nations of Allegheny, which opens on Saturday, June 22.
Created in collaboration with federally recognized Delaware, Seneca, Seneca-Cayuga, and Shawnee communities, this groundbreaking exhibition will illuminate the past, present, and future of the region’s Native tribes with rare artifacts and new scholarship.
The Homelands: Native Nations of Allegheny will feature dozens of objects on loan from American Indian tribes – including domestic objects, decorated moccasins, pouches, and contemporary arts and crafts – along with artifacts and imagery from the collections of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Heinz History Center.
Stay tuned to heinzhistorycenter.org/fort-pitt for more exhibit details.
The Fort Pitt Museum will kick off Fourth of July festivities in Pittsburgh with its annual Fourth at the Fort event and flag raising ceremony (pictured). The ceremony will commence in the Fort Pitt Block House yard, thanks to an ongoing partnership with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, owners of the Fort Pitt Block House – the oldest building in the region.
Summer Programs Highlighted by Cannon Firings and Annual Fourth at the Fort Event
The museum’s summer public programs will include special firings of its 18th-century cannon, living history demonstrations, and its annual Fourth of July celebration.
Cannon Firing
Saturday, June 1 (1–4 p.m.) and Saturday, Aug. 24 (1–4 p.m.)
Experience the boom of the Fort Pitt Museum’s replica British six-pounder cannon and learn how artillery was used at the Point during the 1700s. Costumed reenactors will ceremoniously fire the cannon at select times, weather permitting.
Fourth at the Fort
Thursday, July 4 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
The Fort Pitt Museum will kick off Fourth of July festivities in Pittsburgh with its annual Fourth at the Fort event in Point State Park. At 1 p.m., Fort Pitt Museum staff, scouts, and local veterans will help kick off the Fourth of July holiday by raising a 36-foot American flag. The ceremony will commence in the Fort Pitt Block House yard, thanks to an ongoing partnership with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, owners of the Fort Pitt Block House – the oldest building in the region. Following the flag raising ceremony, visitors can enjoy a family-friendly afternoon of living history demonstrations and tour an exact replica of George Washington’s Revolutionary War tent, on loan from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
Explore PA Outdoors
Saturday, Aug. 3 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Fort Pitt Museum staff will showcase 18th-century hunting and fishing techniques, including weapon demonstrations throughout the day on the museum’s lawn. The event is part of the Explore PA Outdoors program in partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Stickball at Fort Pitt
Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-18 (1–4 p.m.)
Join Fort Pitt Museum staff and members of Native tribes who once dwelled in our region for a weekend filled with the American Indian game of stickball. One of the oldest organized sports played in America, stickball is a precursor to lacrosse and shares aspects of many modern-day field sports like soccer, field hockey, and American football. Historically, the game was used to resolve conflicts within tribal communities and between tribes from other towns and regions. A tradition passed down from generation to generation, stickball is still played competitively by Native tribes across America. Learn techniques and test your skills at stickball on the Fort Pitt lawn.
One of the most affordable family-friendly cultural experiences in the region, admission to the Fort Pitt Museum is just $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $2 off admission for retired and active military, and $6 for students with a valid ID and children ages 6-17. Children under 5 and History Center members get in free.
For more information on the Fort Pitt Museum’s exhibits and public programs, please visit heinzhistorycenter.org/fort-pitt.
The Fort Pitt Museum, built in a recreated bastion of the British fort originally constructed in 1759, focuses on the critical role that Western Pennsylvania played during the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, and the founding of Pittsburgh. The Fort Pitt Museum is located in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, operates the Fort Pitt Museum in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). For more information, please visit heinzhistorycenter.org/fort-pitt.