The state's top historical preservation agency, after months of insisting that only clean fill be used to bury Fort Pitt's Music Bastion, suddenly reversed itself this month. Demolition debris now is being dumped at one of the largest British forts in colonial North America.
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The decision infuriates local preservationists, who worry that the debris will shift over time and cause drainage problems that could destroy the fort's delicate bricks, preventing future generations from excavating the site.
"They're using the fort as a garbage dump," said Michael V. Nixon, a historic preservation lawyer with the Fort Pitt Preservation Society. "People died there who were on the front lines in defending this nation."
Fort Pitt protected 600 men, women and children during the French and Indian War in the mid-1700s. Point State Park is undergoing a $35 million overhaul that calls for burying Fort Pitt to form a level festival and park space.
The location of the fort would be marked in granite and with plaques.
The renovation project has stirred controversy. Historic preservationists say the fort should be left above ground and developed into a tourist attraction. Crews earlier this month strayed outside an area to be excavated and unearthed 50 human bone fragments. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said its forensic experts should have been called immediately. It is trying to determine the age of the bones and whether they are from American Indians.
State officials say burying the fort will preserve it. The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission said it decided to allow demolition debris to be disposed of in Fort Pitt because the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which is overseeing the park project, agreed to include a sand lining. "
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Directory of cultural resource and historic preservation firms.
Gray & Pape, Inc. Archaeology**History**Historic Preservation
Serving your cultural resources needs since 1987.
Ohio -
11-03-11
New South Associates, Inc. New South Associates is a women-owned small business providing cultural resource management services, both nationally and internationally. Our specialities include archaeology, history, architectural history, preservation planning, and public interpretati
Georgia -
03-25-11
Kerns CRM Consultants Cultural and Historical Resource Management Services
Maryland -
01-10-11
Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. Paula S. Reed and Associates, Inc. is a small, woman-owned corporation organized in the State of Maryland, which provides cultural resource evaluation on a nation-wide basis, specializing in National Historic Landmark nominations. We meet qualifications o
Maryland -
11-23-10
SWCA Environmental Consultants Acquires Northwest Archaeological Associates SWCA Environmental Consultants has acquired Northwest Archaeological Associates, expanding SWCA's Pacific Northwest presence with a new Seattle office offering cultural and natural resource management and environmental permitting and compliance consulting.
04-04-11
ACHP Section 106 Essentials two-day course which explains the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
02-02-11
