Fort Steuben is a carefully reconstructed frontier military post, built on the approximate site of the original 1787 fort and staffed by costumed interpreters in the summer months. The reconstructed blockhouses, cabins, and stockade give a clear impression of life on the Ohio frontier in the late 18th century. The adjacent archaeological dig has uncovered original fort remnants, and finds are displayed in the on-site museum.
The fort is part of a small historic complex on the downtown riverfront that also includes the First Federal Land Office. Together they tell the story of Steubenville's founding role in the expansion of the early United States — the surveyors who worked out of this fort were the first federal employees to systematically lay out the land west of the Appalachians for settlement.