In honor of America 250, Pennsylvania Postcards will focus on the people, places, and events that best commemorate this U.S. milestone and our Commonwealth's crucial role in it.
Not all important Revolutionary War sites were battlegrounds. Such is the case with Fort Robredo in the Altoona area, but it was a critical resource for the Continental Army.
Daniel Robredo was a Philadelphia merchant who learned that the Army was in need of lead for ammunition. Robredo spearheaded and financed construction of a fort in 1778 to protect the lead mines and the miners and their families that supplied the Army.
The original Fort Robredo eventually fell into disrepair, but it was ultimately reconstructed, and today the site is a popular education destination.