From the time of his retirement as Athletic Director at the University of Pittsburgh in 1969 until his death in October of 1982, my father's life was almost entirely devoted to the research and restoration of Fort McIntosh. He was an active member of the team of "diggers" who worked for four years to rediscover and restore the original foundations of the fort. He was the author of the book "It Happened Right Here", published in 1976, which told the fascinating story of the history of this area during the time that Fort McIntosh existed. He spent thousands of hours in research, in writing, and in working out the countless arrangements that were part of creating the restored site that now exists on River Road.
The last two years of his life were largely spent in gathering the material and writing the story of the site restoration at Fort McIntosh. It is a book that tells the story of the fort and the people who lived in that period, as well as the story of how the rediscovery and restoration was accomplished. As you read this book, I think you will have a much greater appreciation of the amount of time and energy contributed by the volunteer workers who were involved in this project. More important, I hope you will discover a new appreciation of the importance of the history of Fort McIntosh in our past, and that you will consider what it can mean for the future.
My father was firmly convinced that the preservation of our local history is the most valuable thing we can do to maintain the economic health of our town. He found that usable evidence of the historical significance of Fort McIntosh is far greater than that of other forts where complete reconstruction has been accomplished. He also believed strongly that some form of historical zoning is needed if we are to preserve our local historical landmarks from defacement or destruction. Unfortunately, both of these objectives yet remain to be achieved, due to the limitations of our understanding and appreciation of what it could mean to our community in the long term. The problems encountered during the Fort McIntosh site restoration show the danger of postponing preservation long past the point when it should be done. My father was not one to seek personal recognition, but I am sure that he would have felt that the most fitting memorial possible would be to carry out the work of restoration and preservation that he so energetically started.
My mother and I wish to acknowledge the many memorial contributions which have made possible the publication of this book. We especially wish to thank the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation and the members of the editorial committee, Bob Firestone, Jean Lloyd and Bob Smith, for their effort in proofreading the manuscript and taking the final draft, along with the artwork and photographs, through the production steps that were necessary to have the book published. Credit is also due to Miss Peggy Simpkins, who transcribed the final chapters from my father's notes after his death.
-John Michael Carver