Fort Jones, with its companion, Fort Laughlin

Fort Laughlin

Fort Laughlin was an Civil War redoubt, built in 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Iron Works, and named for James H. Laughlin. It was also known as Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby. It was a circular earthwork on Ormsby's Hill, now part of Arlington Park on...

 were Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 redoubt

Redoubt

A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...

s, built by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Steel in June and July of 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh from a suspected invasion by Confederate troops. It is named for Benjamin Franklin Jones

Benjamin Franklin Jones (Pittsburgh)

Benjamin Franklin Jones was a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh. Originally involved in the river barge industry, he purchased a share in American Iron Works in 1851, along with Bernard Lauth. He later joined with James H...

, a local businessman. Fort Jones occupied the top of a hill in Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania

Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania

Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded entirely by the city of Pittsburgh....

. It was totally destroyed in 1868, and became the site of St. Joseph's Church at 438 Ormsby Street, for which the site was originally purchased. The church is now closed. It was sometimes known as Fort Jackson, in honor of Brig. General Conrad Feger Jackson

Conrad Feger Jackson

Conrad Feger Jackson was a businessman and soldier from the state of Pennsylvania who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Fredericksburg.-Early life and career:Jackson was born in Alsace Township in Berks County,...

, killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

, Virginia, in December 1862.
40°24′45"N 79°58′50"W