Fort Necessity steeped in history | Special Sections | heraldstandard.com – Uniontown Herald Standard

About one month after the French vowed to avenge their dead soldiers and retaliate against the British, they surrounded Fort Necessity and fulfilled their pledge.

On May 28, 1754, Lt. Col. George Washington led a small group of men to Jumonville Glen, about one mile from Fort Necessity, and surrounded a French encampment. All of the French soldiers were killed or captured, including their leader, Ensign Coulon de Jumonville. One French soldier escaped to Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh to gather reinforcements, said park ranger Tom Markwardt.

On July 3, 1754, Jumonvilles brother led a group of 600 French soldiers and 100 Native American allies to Fort Necessity. The French surrounded the British at the Fort, and forced surrender after one day of fighting. The British were permitted to march away, and the French burned the fort July 4.

Markwardt said many locals are aware of the battle, but may not be aware of its implications.

They may not be aware that the battle spread, not only here, but around the world, he said. The last shots of the Seven Years War were fired nine years later in Manila in the Philippines.

The battle at Fort Necessity is considered a prelude to the French and Indian War, a part of the Seven Years War.

Fort Necessity was not built for battle, but for supplies. Markwardt said one of the questions visitors ask him most often is Why is the fort so small?

It was built, basically, commensurate with the size of the unit that was defending it, and it was not intended to be a manned fort at all, he said. It was basically a supply depot that Washington had built for the Forks of the Ohio, where Pittsburgh sits today.

Separated by decades in time but less than a mile in space is the Mount Washington Tavern, a National Road-era tavern located adjacent to Fort Necessity.

It was a tavern during the heyday of the National Road, which was built in the early 1800s, Markwardt said.

The tavern was a stagecoach stop, which was a high-end type of tavern along the National Road contracted by stagecoach lines.

The Mount Washington Tavern contracted with the Good Intent Line in Uniontown, and the Farmington tavern was the first stop headed east from Uniontown. Stagecoach taverns were located about 12 miles apart, because horses could only travel about that distance.

Stagecoaches were the fastest way to travel in the early 19th Century, Markwardt said, because horses could be rotated at the stagecoach stops and eliminate the need for extended rest periods. Only wealthier travelers used stagecoaches.

Stagecoach taverns were typically used for meal breaks instead of overnight stops, he said. They also served other functions, such as mail drop-offs for the U.S. Postal Service and polling places.

They were places where people would meet and discuss events of the day, he said. They were busy, newsy places.

The tavern was built in 1830 by Judge Nathaniel Ewing and sold to James Sampey in 1840, who operated the tavern with his family.

The National Road was dotted with stagecoach taverns in the 1800s, with many stagecoach lines contracting with taverns along the road.

A lot of those taverns, you can still see today as you drive up and down 40, Markwardt said

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Fort Necessity steeped in history | Special Sections | heraldstandard.com - Uniontown Herald Standard