Fort Roberdeau

Fort Roberdeau, also known as The Lead Mine Fort, is a historic fort located in Tyrone Township outside Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1778, during the American Revolution and was occupied until 1780. Initial efforts were made in 1939-41 to reconstruct the fort by concerned local agencies with support from the National Youth Administration. The stockade was finally reconstructed as a Bicentennial project in 1975–76.

Fort Roberdeau
Fort Roberdeau, April 2010
Nearest cityAltoona, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°34′57″N 78°16′26″W
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1778, 1939-1941
NRHP reference No.74001753[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 29, 1974
Designated PHMCApril 01, 1947[2]

The original fort was built of horizontal logs with a bastion at each corner. The fort was originally erected by General Daniel Roberdeau to protect local lead mining activities from the Native Americans and Tories.[3] The fort is open to the public as a historic site, administered and owned by Blair County.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]

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 visitor center, a restored farmhouse (ca. 1860), a sinkhole, a trail system, and a log house (2012) built in the style of an original frontier house. In July of 2018, the Mt. Lion Observatory was opened on the grounds of the Fort, a joint venture between the Fort Roberdeau Association and Neil Armstrong Planetarium at Altoona Area High School.[4] The site is open May 1 through October 31, and the Observatory hosts public and private groups throughout the year.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  3. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes David M. Berman (October 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Fort Roberdeau" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-11-03.
  4. "Looking to the stars". altoonamirror.com. Retrieved 2020-12-23.


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