The Fort Pitt Foundry was a nineteenth century iron foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. It was originally established at Fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue (Pittsburgh)

Fifth Avenue is one of the longest streets in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It begins downtown and moves eastward for about seven or eight miles...

 and Smithfield Street in 1804 by Joseph McClurg, grandfather of Joseph W. McClurg

Joseph W. McClurg

Joseph Washington McClurg was the 19th Governor of Missouri in the decade following the American Civil War. His stepfather was William Murphy.-Biography:...

. It was later moved to the area of Pittsburgh now known as the Strip District

Strip District (Pittsburgh)

The Strip District is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is a one-half square mile area of land northeast of the central business district bordered to the north by the Allegheny River and to the south by portions of the Hill District...

 at 12th and Etna. It was an early producer of ordinance for the United States, and manufactured cannonballs for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

Oliver Hazard Perry

United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...

's forces in the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. It was best known for the manufacture of large cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

. One of the largest was a 20 inch bore Rodman Gun

Rodman gun

Rodman gun refers to a series of American Civil War-era columbiads designed by Union artilleryman Thomas Jackson Rodman . The guns were designed to fire both shot and shell. These heavy guns were intended to be mounted in seacoast fortifications. They were built in 8-inch, 10-inch, 13-inch,...

, a large black powder, smoothbore, muzzle-loading coastal defense gun.

The foundry was closed after the Civil War ended. It was eventually sold to a rival in 1878.