A landscape showing green trees, rolling hills, and a sky with scattered clouds illuminated by sunlight. Fields and distant mountains are visible in the background. The composition represents the natural environment historically found near Fort Pitt. *AI generated alt text

Speaker Saturday: Braddock’s Defeat

Event Information

Date & Time
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location Fort Pitt Museum 601 Commonwealth Place
Pittsburgh PA, 15222
Ticketing Included with General Admission
Category
Register

Explore the peculiar phenomenon of battlefield macabre tourism through the story of Braddock’s Defeat.

Join Fort Pitt Museum Living History Coordinator Lukas Smith for a look at the curious locals and travelers drawn to the site of the Battle of the Monongahela.

In July 1775, General Edward Braddock’s disastrous defeat on the banks of the Monongahela, present-day Braddock, Pa., marked a pivotal moment in Britain’s struggle with the French and their Native allies for control of the Forks of the Ohio.

But the battlefield’s story didn’t end with the fighting. For decades, the remains of Braddock’s soldiers lay improperly buried at the site, their bones attracting curious visitors and turning the battlefield into an early destination for “macabre tourism.”

Dig into the site’s grisly past during this spooky season edition of Speaker Saturday.

Admission

The program is included with regular admission and will take place in the Fort Pitt Auditorium on the museum’s first floor.