Larry A. Smail's Blog

I arrived at the jeep from a hike along Grove Run. I checked the time and decided to travel the six to eight miles to visit Fort Ligonier.  (Present-day, Ligonier, Pennsylvania.) I hadn’t been to the fort in over fifteen years and was anxious to see what new renovations and restorations might be present to see.

One of many pieces of artillery on site.

A brief history of the fort is in order. The timing of history here in southwestern Pennsylvania was the French and Indian War. The Pennsylvania Colony was sided with the British against the French and their Indian allies. The Delaware (Leni-Lenape) with some Shawnee in present-day Kittanning were

British “Union Jack” flag

allied with the French. Fort Ligonier was a British fort erected along the Loyalhanna Creek in 1758. At this time in the war the fort was being used as a staging site for General John Forbes. Forbes mission was to attack the French Fort Duquesne at the forks of the rivers at present-day Pittsburgh. The site would become Fort Pitt after the French evacuated their presence.

Twice the Indians beseigfed the fort and both times the attack was a failure.

The site was a pace of heavy archeological diggings in recent past. Hundreds of relics were removed in the dig and are now on display at the Fort Ligonier musem. The fort, itself, has been erected and restored when possible. Walking through the fort gives a degree of how these brave men lived their day to day existence during war times. It wasn’t easy.

The fort was abandoned in 1766 after the French and Indian War along with Pontiac’s war ended.

To see more about Fort Ligonier see: http://www.fortligonier.org

Store house

Rock outcropping on the Loyalhanna Creek side.

Old “wavy” glass window