Fort Roberdeau

Fort Roberdeau (1778-1780) - A Revolutionary War Fort established in 1778 near the present-day village of Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. Named Fort Roberdeau after Brigadier General Daniel Roberdeau who directed the construction. Roberdeau served as a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania state militia during the Revolutionary War. The fort was also known as the Lead Mine Fort. Abandoned as a fortification circa 1780. History The original fort buildings were enclosed in a horizontal log palisade with a bastion at each of the four corners. Two cannons provided additional protection. The fort was originally erected under General Roberdeau's supervision to protect local lead mining activities from Tories and their Indian allies. Buildings inside the fort included officers' quarters, barracks, a powder magazine, a kitchen, a blacksmith shop, and the lead smelter. Lead production proved to be disappointing and the mining operation was discontinued. The fort continued to be used as settler refuge until the enemy raiding parties stopped circa 1780. Current Status Initial efforts were made in 1939-41 to reconstruct the fort by local agencies with support from the National Youth Administration. The stockade was finally reconstructed as a Bicentennial project in 1975–76. The site consists of the reconstructed fort and its structures (officers' quarters, storehouse, barracks, blacksmith shop, lead miner's cabin, powder magazine, and lead smelter), a restored barn (1859) which serves as the visitor center, a restored farmhouse (ca. 1860) and a log house (2012) built in the style of an original frontier house. The site is open May 1 through October 31, and the Observatory hosts public and private groups throughout the year. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: 383 Fort Roberdeau Road, Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. Maps & Images Lat: 40.5825 Long: -78.27389 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1,122' GPS Locations: 40.5825, -78.27389 Reconstructed Fort 40.60435, -78.31032 Roadside Marker See Also: Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 639. Links: Official Website North American Forts - Fort Roberdeau Wikipedia - Fort Roberdeau HMDB - Fort Roberdeau Visited: No