fort necessity national battlefield

Over Thanksgiving, my wife and I took our girls to the fort. The fort is small but easy to get to it. The visitor's center had a number of artifacts that we all enjoyed. It was very nicely presented and told of the early career of George Washington. I learned more about the French and Indian war in two hours than I did taking a college history class. The ranger's were outstanding. We plan on going back when the weather is nicer, they have a number of trails and picnic areas. If you want to learn more about early American history this is a must stop. Plus you can also take in part of the National Road. What is cool is that you get to be exactly where George Washington was at and imagine what he experienced.

Museum & orientation movie inside laid groundwork to understand what lead to this fort's creation and the battle that happened here. Beautiful shaded paved walk to the fort. I was shocked at the size of the fort; much respect for the men who fought herein their circumstances. There is also a paved path to an Inn as well. I don't remember if there is wheelchair accessibility to the inn, but the museum and fort are. Free parking. Bathrooms are inside the main building where you pay. Inn has a Conestoga wagon; tour guide did good job explaining circumstances. It is right on road, as it was before paved roads.

To stand right there where it happened, really amazing.Plus, the ladies in the visitors center were very nice, too. Highly recommend this side trip.

During a recent conference at Nemacolin Resort I had a chance to visit the Fort Necessity Battlefield. Video and exhibit are very well done. Knowledgeable Park Rangers. The Fort is a nice 300 yard walk from the visitor center. This park is also part of our nations first highway The National Highway which now is US-40. There is also a nicely restored Tavern/Inn on the property. A lot of Americas don't know much about The French and Indian War, or that George Washington was part of the military campaigns here.

There is a very informative NPS exhibit. The actual reproduction fort is not so special but probably the original fort wasn't either. The Rangers and volunteers are bursting to show and tell. Schools are sketchy are the history lessons because of they only want to show the good sides of American heroes.

Visit when it's raining or go early to avoid the crowds. George Washington may have well started the French and Indian war very close to this spot. It's one of many Colonial and Revolutionary War historical sites along Route 40-our country's first National Highway.

The NPS exhibits and video were very well done. My husband and I walked outside and allowed the imagination to take us back.... The rangers were quite knowledgeable and helped visitors to understand the whys and wherefores. The fort at first glance appeared to be disappointing; however, the rangers explained as that was one of the whys visitors such as myself asked. My husband and I walked the trails and spoke in hushed tones as we reflected on what we had learned. It was worth the visit.

The visit to Fort Necessity can be completed in 1 - 2 hours and fills in a gap in most people's memory of American History. As an early part of the French and Indian War most people have never really heard the story of George Washington and the fort. A well spent 2 hours.

Take your time to absorb the NPS exhibits and video to learn more about the pre-colonial period. The fort itself, a recreation, showed the tactical disadvantage the British held. Though the fort is quite small, the surrounding park lands have some terrific walking trails. The tavern is self-guided and no longer hosts weary travelers like ourselves.

if you seek out rare evidence of the French and Indian War from 1754, come to the Laurel Highlands in SW PA. The fort is a re-creation...just a ring of overlapping pointed logs about head high. Smaller than one of the 3 rings at a circus. It is accessed off the Braddock Road road where the general was buried in 1754...this is the national pike or an early federal toll road. Significance? George Washington assumed command but surrendered here to the French. He and his men were allowed to leave the fort under their colors and with their arms. Braddock was on his way to Fort Duquesne...or as we know it now....Pittsburgh where 3 mighty rivers meet.

After viewing the well-done video, we walked through the exhibit. This is one of the best exhibits in a National Park site. We met a ranger at the reconstructed fort who truly brought the time and the battle alive for us. Since we didn't know much of the French and Indian Wars, this stop put historical events in place for us.

The presentations help you understand the history behind the French & Indian Wars. The battle at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the opening action of the French and Indian War. This war was a clash of British, French and American Indian cultures. It was a complicated time, as both sides tried to enlist the help of our native Americans. This is also the first time a young George Washington appears in our history. There are beautiful displays, timelines, and artifacts of the time in the museum. You are first shown a twenty minute movie in the theater to introduce you to the event and troubling time. Outside, a beautiful path leads you through the forest to the clearing where the fort stands. While the Fort is a replica, its history is fascinating. Historians originally believed the fort to be square or at angles, but archaeologists discovered that it was round, as presented today. When viewing the grounds topography, landscape and fort stature, you can soon understand why this was not one of George's finest moments, as the French had little trouble out dueling the British.

My son (11), mom (70s), and I visited Fort Necessity recently on a trip through Pennsylvania on the way to a family wedding. We really enjoyed our visit! We arrived close to opening time and saw that there was a ranger-led tour in about 15 minutes, so we paid our entry fee and looked around the museum for a few minutes before joining the tour. One of the first things I noticed was a small exhibit that mentioned the Seneca-Iroquois Museum in Salamanca, New York - a place we planned to visit while staying with family for the wedding, so that was a nice touch (when we did visit the S-I Museum, we met a Seneca who had recently been to Fort Necessity for an event; small world.) The tour started beside a small playground that is themed to the Fort and looked like a lot of fun for young kids - if we had more time, even my 11-year-old probably would have enjoyed it! Our ranger tour guide was very knowledgeable and a great story teller and while we walked to the fort itself, she set the context for the main story of the battle at Fort Necessity. As we reached various points, including the fort, she added to the overall story. It was entertaining and educational. (A bonus for us was that there was a mother deer and two fawns at the edge of the meadow/woods - while a bit of a distraction, it also helped with the context because we could truly visualize live beings at the edge of the woods, much as in the battle that occurred there.) The ranger asked my son to post the colors over the fort, which he loved; it was just another touch that added to the visit. We took a short hike from the fort to see a trace of the original Braddock Road. There had been some rain and once we were off the paved path, we discovered how much of the Great Meadow is actually a marsh, which explained a lot of the plant life and conditions for the soldiers who lived in/around the fort. We returned to the visitor center/museum and watched the very good film. Afterward, due to time constraints, we hustled through the rest of the exhibits, visited the gift shop, and then drove to the Mount Washington Tavern, which is a great addition and highly recommended. After we left the main site, we stopped to see Braddock's grave and another, well-marked, trace of the original Braddock Road, before heading west on the National Road to our next destination. This really helped bring this part of history alive and was a great visit. My son completed the Junior Ranger Program - he loves those programs! - and when we arrived, the ranger at the front desk pointed out that for the cost of my mom's and my entry fee, my mom could sign up for a senior National Park membership, which was very nice of him! We did not have the time to stop at Jumonville Glen, but may do that on another visit in the future . . . .

It may be small and many may not know of it, but Fort Necessity is a little gem of a National Park. We really enjoyed the experience. Tour is about an hour and then you can spend personal time walking through the park or listening to the young men dressed in period uniforms explain their life as a soldier. This is a great piece of American history and well worth your time to stop and enjoy.

The weekend we visited was the anniversary of the National Road and there were alot of period acitivities going on. This made the visit much more enjoyable.