Fort Roberdeau (Tyrone Township, Blair County (near Altoona), Pennsylvania)
Tyrone Township, Blair County (near Altoona) · Pennsylvania · American Revolution
History & Significance
Fort Roberdeau, also known as The Lead Mine Fort, is an historic fort located in Tyrone Township, outside Altoona, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia merchant Daniel Roberdeau was an early supporter of the Revolutionary movement who served on the Philadelphia Committee of Safety and was appointed a General of state militia in 1776.
Roberdeau served in the First Continental Congress and continued there until 1779. By 1777 the Continental Army was desperately short of lead for ammunition, so Roberdeau spearheaded an effort to protect the lead mines in Bedford County, which supplied the army.
Construction used horizontal logs because limestone lay too close to the surface to permit the standard method of sinking vertical post holes. Inside the stockade was a large furnace and tall chimney specifically designed for smelting lead, unique in a frontier fort.
A successful first year of production resulted in 1000 pounds of lead in 1778. The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Fort was never directly attacked and served as a safe haven for soldiers, lead miners and local settlers.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed Revolutionary War fort with horizontal log construction and corner bastions
- Period buildings and exhibits on lead mining operations during 1778–1780 occupation
- Visitor center with educational programs about local Revolutionary history
- Observatory (opened 2018) for evening visits
- Central Pennsylvania landscape setting near Altoona
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Roberdeau
- https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2019/11/25/the-war-on-the-pennsylvania-frontier-part-1-of-5-fort-roberdeau/
- https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/bios/roberdeau__daniel
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=226806
- https://pittsburghmuseums.org/southwestern-pennsylvania/fort-roberdeau-historic-site
- https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-BL25
Other Forts in Pennsylvania
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