July 28-August 3, 2019

Kooser State Park

Somerset, PA

Part 2-Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Mount Washington Tavern.

In the Visitor Center I stamped my passport.

We watched a short film detailing how and why Fort Necessity was built.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1750, rival claims between the French and English to the vast territory along the Ohio River between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.

Costumed Ranger giving an arms demonstration 

Volunteer detailing different items of his attire.

 

 

Prominent Englishmen and Virginians, who saw the economic and financial potential of the area, established the Ohio Company that obtained a large grant of 200,000 acres in the upper Ohio River Valley. 

The Company began planning for additional settlements and started to open an 80-mile wagon road to the Monongahela River.

The French, who considered the Ohio a vital link between New France (Canada) and Louisiana, advanced southward and westward, driving out English traders and claiming the Ohio River Valley for France.

Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie sent an eight-man expedition under George Washington to warn the French to withdraw. 

The 21 year old Washington made the journey in midwinter.  The French refusal to withdraw set the stage for the events that took place at Fort Necessity.

The confrontation at Fort Necessity in 1754 was the opening battle of the war fought by England and France for control of the North American continent and it was also the opening episode of the worldwide struggle known as the French and Indian War.

 

Fort Necessity consisted of a structure surrounded by stockade fencing that was built to protect supplies such as gunpowder, rum and flour.  The crude palisade was built more to defend supplies from Washington’s own men, whom he described as “loose and idle”, than as a planned defense against a hostile enemy.

In 1754, believing his situation at the fort was impossible, Washington accepted surrender terms which allowed the peaceful withdrawal of his forces.  The French occupied the fort and then burned it down. 

Mount Washington Tavern is located on a hillside adjacent to the battlefield.  The tavern is a classic example of the many inns once lining the National Road, the United States’ first federally funded highway. 

The 620 mile National Road was built between 1811 and 1837 by the federal government.  It connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main transport path to the West for thousands of settlers.

George Washington purchased the land where the tavern would be built in 1770.  In the 1830s, Judge Nathanial Ewing constructed the tavern.  The tavern was acquired by James Sampey in 1840.  His family operated it until the railroad construction boom caused the National Road to decline in popularity. 

The tavern served as a stopping place for stagecoaches offering lodging, meals, news, and refreshments. 

The Bar Room was frequented mostly by men with activities such as gambling, smoking, and conversation.  Over drinks of rye whiskey, brandy and hard cider topics may have included politics, current events, and stories of travel.

The Parlor was the finest room in the tavern where the travelers could enjoy reading, conversation and entertainment surrounded by elegant furnishings which reflected the status of the owners.

 

 

 

 

The bedrooms were on the second floor.  No privacy was expected as overnight accommodations in the tavern were shared. 

Travelers slept partially clothed for warmth or for personal security.  Each room included a wash basin and chamber pot.