Fort Presque Isle Graveyard in Erie, Pennsylvania

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Get directions 300-398 E Front St
Erie, Pennsylvania, 16507 USA

Coordinates: 42.13754, -80.07997
Cemetery ID:

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Fort de la Presqu'île was built in 1753-1754. It was a star fort that was square with a bastion at each corner. It was the first of four forts built by the French from Lake Erie and south twelve miles along the Ohio River in the Ohio River Valley. The forts in order of construction were Fort de la Presqu'île, Fort le Boeuf, Fort Machault, and Fort Deuquesne. The French held the area until November 1758, when the British destroyed Fort Duquesne. In July 1759, the three remaining forts were destroyed and the French left the area.

There is a peninsula that arches out into Lake Erie from Millcreek Township to the east of Fort de la Presqu'île, creating Presque Isla Bay and also a barrier around the fort. The peninsula was named Presqu'île (present day Presque Isle) by the French in the 1720's.

The British rebuilt a new fort on this site and it was named Fort Presque Isle. It was a square fort with a blockhouse in the back left corner. It was destroyed in 1763, during Pontiac's War.

Today, there is a monument designating the site of Fort de la Presqu'île and Fort Presque Isle. The "Erie Stone" was placed at the southeast corner of the French fort. The town of Erie was laid out using this stone as the beginning point.

The historical marker behind the "Erie Stone" contains an engraving of each fort. The area surrounding the monument has been developed and there are no remains of the fort or its cemetery, nor are there any headstones.