Fort Necessity National Battlefield - Part II

The battle of Fort Necessity was actually fought over several sites that are now preserved as a part of the National Battlefield.  After visiting the fort we visited three other locations.  The first place we went to was Mount Washington Tavern.

The Mount Washington Tavern was one of the many taverns located along the National Road, the first highway built by the Federal government. The tavern, constructed in the 1830s, was in operation during the heyday of the National Road. James and Rebecca Sampey and their family owned and operated this imposing brick and stone building. The Mount Washington Tavern catered to stagecoach clientele and was serviced by the Good Intent Stagecoach Line. This tavern owes its name to George Washington, who, as a young man, fought a battle nearby. He returned 15 years later to initiate the purchase of the land which he owned until his death in 1799.
--from Fort Necessity NB website (pdf file, all quotes below about tavern are from this document)

The bar room was described as being frequently mostly by men who gambled, smoked and talked.

 "Ladies did not frequent the barroom. Their reputations would have been tarnished if they had entered this setting."

The parlor was described as the finest room in the tavern where everyone could enjoy reading, conversation, and entertainment.

 In the dining room guests "were allowed to eat as much as they liked, but were often hurried as other coaches would be arriving with hungry travelers waiting for a hot and hearty meal. The price of a meal was about 25 cents in the mid 1800s."

Both of the older kids enjoyed looking into the kitchen.  I think they especially liked seeing the dolls under the window.

When we looked at the bedrooms upstairs I made sure to point out the chamber pots and to explain what they were used for.  "Spending the night in a tavern would not be one of the highlights of the trip.  Beds were shared with strangers and it was possible to have two or three bed mates during the niht.  Travlers would arise at all hours to get an early start on the road and another tired wayfarer could crawl in that vacant place in the bed."

This was a fascinating exhibit where uncovered graffiti was left exposed to view.  "During removal of non-historic wallpaper, graffiti from the tavern period was uncovered.  Several signatures and numeric equations were revealed.  One signature bears the date of July 28, 1839.  Speculation is these people were building tradesmen leaving their mark for posterity on the finished structure."

Outside the tavern were a few signs and exhibits, including one about the National Road, which later followed the trail that Washington and Braddock took into the area they considered wilderness.

After leaving the tavern we drove down the road to see Braddock's grave.

From the parking lot you walk down to the level of the old road before climbing back up to the tomb.

However, if you turn to the right at the bottom and walk down the path you'll find the spot where Braddock was first buried in the middle of the road.  The story is that he was buried there so the whole army could walk over the grave and obscure its location so that the French or their native allies wouldn't be able to find and dig up the body.

The current grave is a large monument erected in 1913.

The last location we visited was Jumonville Glen.  Sadly due to the rain we didn't get to walk all the way down the path, though I find it interested that the signage described a rainy night in 1754 when 22-year old George Washington scouted out the French camp in this area.

The whole trail was marked, but I'm not entirely sure how far down it we walked before we had to turn back to make sure we didn't get too wet.

We did see some ferns and mushrooms along the path.

But we did find a monument to "Washington's first battle" before we turned back.

All of these photos (and a number more) can be found in my Fort Necessity album.

~Matt