Brick fragment from Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, USA, 1760 (c)

Fort Pitt was built by the British during the Seven Years War (1756-1763). It was positioned at the strategic point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River at Pittsburgh. Named after William Pitt the Elder, Fort Pitt replaced Fort Duquesne, which was destroyed by the French when they abandoned the site after a siege in 1758.

Fort Pitt, with its geometric design and angular bastions, was built by Captain Harry Gordon of the 60th (or Royal American) Regiment of Foot. Following the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, the fort was besieged during the Native American rising known as Pontiac Rebellion.

By 1774, the fort was in American control and renamed Fort Dunmore. The fort served as a headquarters for American forces in the region during the War of Independence (1775-1783). It was decommissioned in 1797. Point State Park now encompasses both Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne, and the former is now the site of the Fort Pitt Museum.