The Fort Pitt museum opened its Captured by Indians exhibit on May 22nd of last year. It was supposed to close the same date this year, but by popular demand, the date was extended to October 2nd. The exhibit includes information about events that took place before the war.
There are seven life sized standups (including babies) in the exhibit. When you first walk through you encounter a door from a cabin where a raid took place that is bullet ridden.
Then you see the standee of John Brickell, a boy who was taken captive at just 9-years-old.
Next up is a model of Massy Harbison and her baby, who she saved and made a six day trip back to her home. The day she was captured, May 22nd, is the date the exhibit opened.
The next standee you see is of the Kincade family, who were reunited just months after Ms.Kincades capture.
The exhibit includes multiple artifacts from some of the colonists experiences during their time with the Indians, such as: the Catherine Bard spoon, prisoner cords, and the J.B. Adhemar Powder Horn.
The museum itself was built using an older looking type of brick. The oldest building in Pittsburgh is the Fort Pitt Museums Blockhouse. Over the years it has been used as a variety of things, from a candy shop to an actual house which housed two tenants. Currently it is a gift shop, but the shopkeeper will give you a historical overview of the Blockhouse.
Along one of the walls are years placed in spots where the flood was highest that year. The highest flood was in 1936, which actually reached above where the roof started. The second floor is no longer in use but they took out some floor boards so you can see a bit of the things they put up there, like: a British flag, a drum, and what looks like a British uniform.
The Fort Pitt museum Captured by Indians exhibit and the Blockhouse are very informative places and the exhibit is a must see before it closes in October.
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