Point State Park

Point State Park

Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 36 acres in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. Built on land acquired via eminent domain from industrial enterprises in the 1950s, the park opened in August 1974 when construction was completed on its iconic fountain. The park also includes the outlines and remains of two of the oldest structures in Pittsburgh, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne.

About Point State Park in brief

Summary Point State ParkPoint State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 36 acres in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. Built on land acquired via eminent domain from industrial enterprises in the 1950s, the park opened in August 1974 when construction was completed on its iconic fountain. The park also includes the outlines and remains of two of the oldest structures in Pittsburgh, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 for its role in the strategic struggles between Native Americans, French colonists, and British colonists, for control of the Ohio River watershed. In April 2009, the fountain was turned off for a USD 9. 6 million upgrade and refurbishment; it went online again at the opening of the Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 7, 2013. The fountain also serves as the western terminus for the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile hiker-biker trail beginning at the 184. 5 milepost of the Cumberland, MD terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, creating the Ohio river, has impacted the history of Point State Park. It remains the official landmark-designated name for the site. During the mid-18th century, Western Pennsylvania was at the center of trade, travel, and even wars throughout the pioneer history of France and the Great Britain.

The fort held the strategic location of its riverside location in disputed territory because of its location in the wilderness. The French held the fort in early 1754 on the foundations of Fort Prince George, which had been built by the colonial forces of Virginia. The Fort Pitt Museum commemorates the French and Indian War, in which the area soon to become Pittsburgh was a major battlefield. It became one of the focal points for trade and travel throughout the early 20th century. It is located at the end of a trail that runs from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, thus forming in total a 350-mile recreational trail between DC and Pittsburgh. The trail ends in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., where it begins at the184.5 milepost. The Great Allegheny Passage, which begins in the Cumberlands, Maryland terminus, ends at the 183. 5milepost of Cumberland,. MD terminal of the  Chesapeake and Ohio CanalNational Historical Park, which ends in Washington,DC. In the spring of 2008, the project was scheduled to be completed in time for Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration in 2008.