Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Fort Necessity National Battlefield by National Parks Service

On July 3, 1754, in the wilderness of the Allegheny Mountains, Colonial troops commanded by 22 year old Colonel George Washington were defeated in this small stockade at the "Great Meadow". This opening battle of the French and Indian War began a seven year struggle between Great Britain and France for control of North America. Great Britain's success in this war helped pave the way for the American Revolution.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield is located in the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania, about 11 miles east of Uniontown. The park comprises approximately 900 acres in three separate sites. The main unit contains the visitor center, the battlefield with the reconstructed Fort Necessity, and the Mount Washington Tavern. The Braddock Grave unit is approximately 1.5 miles west of the main unit and the Jumonville Glen unit is approximately seven miles northwest of the main unit.

The National Road

By early in the 19th century, the wilderness of the Ohio country had given way to settlement. The road Washington cut through the forest was replaced by the National Road. The road passed by Fort Necessity and bustled with traffic heading from plains to port and port to plains.

The Mount Washington Tavern was built near Fort Necessity as a stagecoach stop on the National Road. Today it is a museum dealing with life along the Road.