Fort Duquesne

Fort Duquesne was a French military installation at the meeting point of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, controlling access to the Ohio River. The fortification consisted of a wooden palisade with four bastions and barracks for the soldiers and traders who guarded the important waterway junction.

French troops built the installation in 1754, naming it after Marquis Duquesne, the governor-general of New France at the time. The French destroyed the fort themselves in 1758 when British forces under General John Forbes approached, and the British later erected Fort Pitt on the same site.

The French name honors the former control of the Ohio Valley by France, while the modern city of Pittsburgh reflects the British takeover of the territory. Visitors today see a brick outline in Point State Park showing where the French garrison once monitored river trade.

The original fort no longer exists, but visitors find a brick outline of its footprint in Point State Park at the meeting point of the three rivers. The park offers free access and informational panels explaining the location of the former installation.

George Washington led his first military command here in 1754 when he attempted to remove the French presence. The site later became the starting point for the development of modern Pittsburgh after the British victory.