Fort Necessity

If you’re traveling around Uniontown some day or simply enjoy visiting historical sites, take a shot at visiting Fort Necessity. It’s only $5 for adult and FREE for kids 15 and under, and a fun way to spend an hour or two. The fort is located 15 min east of Uniontown along Rt. 40, the National Road.

If you were around last year for the 250th anniversary of Pittsburgh, then you know that Fort Necessity was built (out of necessity, hence the name) by a young George Washington who had managed to really tick off a group of nearby French soldiers, thus inciting the French and Indian War. (Okay, technically, the fort was built by George Washington’s troops to protect them from a French raid in the summer of 1754. Earlier that summer, his troops had killed a French officer nearby and the French were out to attack the British troops in retaliation. Who can blame them?)

Today, Fort Necessity has one of the BEST National Park Service Visitor Centers I’ve seen in a long time. It includes some nice replica artifacts and interesting interpretive exhibits. Opened in 2005, the center interprets both the French and Indian War, and the history of the National Road which was actually based on the trail Washington’s troops cleared on their way through the area. See more pictures here.

The first stop in the center should be the excellent “here’s what happened and why it’s a national park now” movie. This 20-minute movie is well produced and looks great on their HD screen. It is actually interesting to watch, which is saying something because I’ve seen a lot of these introductory movies, and most are boring at best. Maybe they worked with the PBS team who did the, also excellent, French and Indian War documentary. Regardless, it’s short and fun to watch (and also educational).

After the movie, wander through the French and Indian War and National Road exhibits. The War exhibits do a fabulous job of presenting multiple perspectives on the events at the Fort, from the British and French side as well as the Native American sides. Also on hand are some very cool artifact replicas of period weapons, clothes, and even replica wampum belts (read through the display to understand what they mean).

A secondary story for this park is the history of the National Road. The exhibits dedicated to that story are also quite engaging. I could picture myself at some dusty tavern circa 1825 talking about tolls and bed bugs.

Walk outside and you’ll find a playground for younger children; all the kids I saw there absolutely loved it. There is an oversized replica Conestoga wagon and a mini Fort Necessity.

Beyond the Visitor Center, you can visit a replica Fort Necessity. The “fort” is really just a small building inside a small surrounding palisade. The highlight here is to participate in one of the park’s interpretive programs. Each day offers at least one program, usually a Soldier’s Life or Fur Trading. Some days offer special programs. The weekend I visited there was a Native American camp interpretation which was lots of fun. At the time of Washington’s visit the area was contested not just by the British and French, but also by a variety of Native groups from the Seneca to the Delaware to the Shawnee to the Cherokee and others. This weekend included reenactors from these multiple groups with multiple perspectives.

NOTE: Keep in mind the wonderful hiking trails in the area when you visit. Take some time to hike the nearby trails on the grounds and get an idea of what it was like for Washington to travel through these early forests.

Fort Necessity is $5 for adults and FREE for children 15 and under. The Visitor Center is open 9 am-5 pm April through October and the grounds, including hiking trails, are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. They also offer FREE FEE weekends, look at their website for program schedules and other information.