Fort McIntosh (Beaver, Pennsylvania)
Beaver · Pennsylvania · Revolutionary War
History & Significance
General Lachlan McIntosh built Fort McIntosh during the American Revolution in 1778 on a commanding plateau above the Ohio River, having been assigned by General George Washington as Commander of the Western Department of the Continental Army. Constructed in 1778, it was the first fort built by the Continental Army north of the Ohio River, as a direct challenge to the British stronghold at Detroit.
It was the headquarters of the largest army to serve west of the Alleghenies, with a garrison of about 1,500 men at one time. The fort was in the form of a trapezoid, about 150 feet on each side, with raised earthen bastions on each corner.
The fort was the scene of the signing of the Treaty of Fort McIntosh in January 1785 by chiefs of the Delaware, Wyandot, Ottawa and Chippewa nations; as a direct result, Congress enacted the Land Ordinance of 1785, opening all western territories to boundary surveys and orderly settlement, marking the real beginning of the westward migration that continued for the next 100 years. From December 1784 to November 1785, the troops stationed at Fort McIntosh—with only small detachments at Fort Pitt and West Point—represented the core of the first permanent body of the United States Army, playing a defining role in the establishment of the nation's first peacetime standing army.
After 10 years of service, the fort was decommissioned in 1788, as the frontier had pushed further west and its mission had been completed. In 1974, citizens of Beaver received assistance from the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museum to excavate the site, uncovering the stone footers marking walls and fireplaces and finding 80,000 identifiable artifacts over four years; a dedication was held on October 7, 1978, by U.S. Army General William Westmoreland, 200 years after the fort's construction.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Restored earthen bastions and log palisade remains marking the first American fort north of the Ohio River (1778)
- Trapezoid fort layout designed by French engineers
- Excavated stone foundations and archaeological remnants from 1970s restoration
- Revolutionary War-era frontier military outpost at the confluence of Ohio and Beaver Rivers
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-mcintosh.htm
- https://beaverheritage.org/fort-mcintosh-historic-site/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McIntosh_(Pennsylvania)
- https://bcpahistory.org/beavercounty/BAHF/FortMcIntosh/FortMain.html
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=40235
- https://beaverpa.us/history/
Other Forts in Pennsylvania
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