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Arthur St. Clair Parlor

Step into the parlor

Considered a forgotten founding father, Arthur St. Clair was involved in every major event that shaped our nation, from military service in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, to political posts in the new United States government.

Caretaker of Fort Ligonier
Following his service as an officer in the French and Indian War, Arthur St. Clair received a tract of land in western Pennsylvania. He settled in Bedford with his young family and was named civil caretaker of Fort Ligonier when it was decommissioned by the British army in 1766. By the end of the 18th century he had built a home in Ligonier known as “The Hermitage.” One room of his home, the parlor, was moved to Fort Ligonier’s museum in 1961 and remains on display.

A Forgotten Founding Father
Following his military service in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, Arthur St. Clair was elected as a President of the Continental Congress in 1787 as the United States Constitution was being drafted. He was then appointed the first governor of the Northwest Territory that consisted of present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota.