Fort Laughlin Explained

Fort Laughlin
Location:	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Type:	American Civil War redoubt
Country:	United States
Built:	1863
Controlledby:	Union Army

Fort Laughlin was a Civil War redoubt, built in 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Iron Works, and named for James H. Laughlin. It was also known as Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby.^{[1] [2]} It was a circular earthwork on Ormsby's Hill, now part of Arlington Park on Arlington Avenue.^[3] 40.4186°N -79.975°W^[4]

History

Built along the bluffs of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1863 by Jones and Laughlin Iron Works^[5] in response to the threatened invasion of Pennsylvania by the Confederate States Army, this circular, earthen, Civil War redoubt was also known as "Fort McKinley" or "Fort Ormsby."^{[1] [2]} It was located on Ormsby's Hill in what is now Arlington Park, which is located on Arlington Avenue and is bordered by Fernleaf, Salisbury, Sterling, and Fort Hill streets.^{[3] [4]}

No remains of the structure were evident as of 2019.

Notes and References

1. Web site: North American Forts . Greater Pittsburgh Area .
2. Swetnam, George. "The Forts Nobody Knows." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, May 7, 1961, p.134.
3. White, Thomas. Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh: "Pittsburgh's Civil War Forts." Charleston, South Carolina, The History Press, 2010.
4. Fleming, George T. "Fortifying Pittsburgh in 1863." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 1, 1923, sec. 5, p. 2.
5. McCarthy, Bill. "One Month in the Summer of '63: Pittsburgh Prepares for the Civil War," in Pittsburgh History, Winter 1998-1999.