Fort Necessity National Battlefield

When you go on a Ranger Walk, you will hear about the "original tree line" at the Great Meadow and the important part it played in the battle that took place here July 3rd 1754. The Great Meadow historically has been described as a wetland surrounded by eastern hardwood forests. In 1754, the forested area surrounding the Great Meadow consisted of stands of birch, maple, elm, and walnut, with oak, American chestnut, and hickory dominating the area. A long-term project is un...derway by Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Western PA National Parks Natural Resource team to reestablish the meadow as close as possible to its July 1754 look. Beginning in 2019, red and silver maples, pin oaks, river birch, and sycamore trees were planted to fill in the area between the existing woods and the 1754 tree line as part of that project and give all who visit the site a much truer experience of the battle. Here, a young volunteer works to cage a river birch to help the Natural Resource Team protect the new plantings from wildlife and mowing damage.

We cannot celebrate Native Plant Month without a look at the Great Meadow of Fort Necessity in late summer. From July through October, as you walk the grounds of the park, take time to admire the many wildflowers you encounter on your journey. Golden rod, woodland sunflowers, iron weed, Joe Pye, wild carrots, yarrow, milkweed, cattails and many other species will greet you along the way. All these natives were here to greet Washington and his soldiers when they arrived here in 1754.

As the flowers of springtime fade away in June, summer flowers take their place. One of the most vibrant of these is the Cardinal Flower. Beginning in July and extending through September, this brilliant scarlet-colored native wildflower can be found along the stream banks, marshes, and low woods areas of the five parks that make up the National Parks of Western Pennsylvania. With its vivid color and height of up to four feet, it can be easily seen from considerable distance and as an added bonus, it is a great attractor of humming birds and butterflies. Enjoy this masterpiece of nature whenever you can.

The wooded areas of Fort Necessity are a good place to find a colony of Jack-in-the-pulpit as it is a shade loving species. This native perennial can live 25+ years and spread and colonize over time from an acidic corm. The flower is an unusual green and maroon striped spathe surrounding a fleshy, maroon-colored spadix that bears the tiny, embedded flowers. In late season, the bright red berries produced are an attractive food source for birds, rodents, etc. However, it is not a good idea to handle this plant as the leaves and fruits contain calcium oxalate that can irritate the skin and the oxalic acid in the jack-in-the-pulpit is poisonous if ingested. So admire its beauty and take lots of pictures but do not touch.

#NaturalResources Here is another native found at Fort Necessity. Commonly called Partridge berry, it can be found growing in the wooded areas or along the stream banks. Although it is a vine, the partridge berry is not a climber and when mature will be about 6 cm tall with creeping stems 15 to 30 cm long. This native will bloom mid spring through early summer with its red berries coming on from July through October. Don’t worry, the berries are nonpoisonous and are a source of food for many birds.

#NaturalResources When most people think of the violets of springtime, the picture "violets of blue" comes to mind. However, if you happen to hike along one of the trails that pass through the wooded areas of Fort Necessity in April or May, you may come across the "native" Round-leaved Yellow Violet growing in your path. The Round-leaved violet is one of the early bloomers of spring and flowers will appear when the leaves are about the size of a nickel and the plant around 3 inches tall. Thank the ants that live in our wooded areas for dispersing the seeds of this beautiful little native so we may enjoy them every spring.

PARK ALERT Effective December 12, 2020 The National Park Service is working with federal, state, and local public health officials to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.... Based on guidance from state and local public health authorities, and in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Visitor Center at Fort Necessity National Battlefield will be temporarily closed beginning Saturday, December 12, 2020, until further notice. All trails and grounds remain open daily from sunrise to sunset. https://www.nps.gov/fone/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Our "Perspectives on the French & Indian War" speaker series has gone virtual! Check out our website to find videos of the 2020 speaker series. In our latest lecture, Dr. Erica Nuckles from Fort Ligonier & Braddock's Battlefield History Center provides perspective from an often neglected 18th century point of view, women. https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm

Vacancy Announcements are open now for next years seasonal Park Ranger positions. You must apply under this announcement for positions in the western Pennsylvania National Parks, including Fort Necessity. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/583448600

The staff of Friendship Hill National Historic Site and Fort Necessity National Battlefield work together on a lot of projects throughout the year. With so many people working together, it creates a large pool of experience and knowledge. Although you may only see the front-line customer service employees when you visit, there are a lot of people who work behind the scenes from the Interpretive and Visitor Protection, Cultural and Natural Resource Management, Maintenance, a...nd other divisions! Do you have a question about the history of Fort Necessity, Friendship Hill, or related topics? Have any questions about the natural or cultural resources? Any questions about life as a ranger or working for the National Park Service? Ask your question on this post (or the same post at Friendship Hill National Historic Site’s page) and we’ll take some time in the next few weeks to answer some of them in a few short videos.

Are you interested in working as an Interpretive Park Ranger in the Western Pennsylvania National parks next summer? The application period for these jobs starts Monday, November 2. This announcement will only be open for 5 days. Please apply quickly to insure you make the applicant cutoff. Seasonal positions at Fort Necessity NB (Farmington), Friendship Hill National Historic Site (Point Marion), Johnstown Flood NMEM (SouthFork), Flight 93 National Memorial (Stoystown), and Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS (Gallitzin) will be filled by applicants to this announcement. Please go to USAJOBS.GOV to apply. This does not imply that all of the parks will fill the positions advertised.

#TriviaTuesday There was a lot of interest in last week's question to pick the archeologist who gave us the representation of the reconstructed fort in the meadow today. That gentleman would be: B. J.C. Harrington In August 1952, Harrington began a project to find evidence of the "entrenchments" said to have been located outside the stockade walls. Since the fort had been reconstructed on those earthworks be mistake in 1932, he found no evidence of the entrenchments. This... prompted him to rethink the construction of the original fort based on the 1754 Deposition of John Shaw which described a circular stockade with a supply cabin inside. In 1953, Harrington began his search within the stockade walls of the 1931 reconstructed fort. He soon uncovered the remains of the original posts in the circular design as described by Shaw. This week's question will continue with Dr. Harrington. To honor Dr. Harrington, in 1981 the J. C. Harrington Award was established by the Society for Historical Archaeology and is presented to one person each year for a "life-time of contributions to the discipline centered on scholarship". The back of this medal commerates three of Harrington's works which include one of the following choices: A. Appomattox Court House B. Fort Raleigh C. Jamestown Glass Works D. Fort Necessity

#TriviaTuesday There was a lot of interest in last week's question to pick the archeologist who gave us the representation of the reconstructed fort in the meadow today. That gentleman would be: B. J.C. Harrington In August 1952, Harrington began a project to find evidence of the "entrenchments" said to have been located outside the stockade walls. Since the fort had been reconstructed on those earthworks be mistake in 1932, he found no evidence of the entrenchments. This... prompted him to rethink the construction of the original fort based on the 1754 Deposition of John Shaw which described a circular stockade with a supply cabin inside. In 1953, Harrington began his search within the stockade walls of the 1931 reconstructed fort. He soon uncovered the remains of the original posts in the circular design as described by Shaw. This week's question will continue with Dr. Harrington. To honor Dr. Harrington, in 1981 the J. C. Harrington Award was established by the Society for Historical Archaeology and is presented to one person each year for a "life-time of contributions to the discipline centered on scholarship". The back of this medal commerates three of Harrington's works which include one of the following choices: A. Appomattox Court House B. Fort Raleigh C. Jamestown Glass Works D. Fort Necessity

#TriviaTuesday The reconstructed fort that stands in the Great Meadow is accurate to size, construction, and location to Washington's Fort Necessity. We owe this representation of Fort Necessity to the work of archeologist: A. Freeman Lewis B. J.C. Harrington C. Jared Sparks D. Harry Blackford... Now for the answer to last week's Trivia question as to what federal government agency was first tasked with administration of Fort Necessity in 1932: D. War Department In 1932 administration for the Federal Government's newly acquired two acre property in the Great Meadow was assigned to the War Department. A year later, in 1933, the site known as Fort Necessity National Battlefield Site was transferred to the National Park Service.

#NaturalResourceSaturday We begin a series on the natural resources at Fort Necessity with a salute to "Bat Week". There are ten species of bats (migratory or resident) known to occur within Fort Necessity and the other four National Parks in Western PA . The Natural Resource Rangers and VIP's recorded seven of those species during their fall migration and monitoring during 9/11 in our parks. More to come about our bats in a future post.

#TriviaTuesday This week's question will center on the history of Fort Necessity as a National Battlefield. In 1932 the first version of a reconstructed stockade and the two acre tract of land it sat on were deeded to the Federal Government. Administration of this property was assigned to which of these government agencies? A. National Park Service B. Army Corps of Engineers C. U.S. Army... D. War Department Now for the answer to last week's question. Correct answer was: c. A deposition before a committee led by the Governor of South Carolina in August 1754 On Aug 27, 1754 Shaw appered before South Carolina Governor James Glen and gave a deposition describing the battle at Great Meadows and events leading up to it. In that deposition, he describes the fort as "... a small stocado fort in a circular form round a small house that stood in the middle of it to keep our provisions and ammunition in..."

One week from tonight, on Wednesday, October 14th, we will host our last "Films at the Fort" movie night of the year. This month's offering is "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." The film will begin at 6:00pm in the visitor center theater. The movie will be followed by a brief discussion of the film's historical accuracy. While not depicting the Seven Years War or French & Indian War period, the film is an excellent representation of naval combat and the ...life of a sailor in the Age of Sail. Far too often, when discussing the conflict, we neglect to discuss perhaps the most decisive factor in Britain's global victory, the Royal Navy! From Amazon's editorial review: "When a sudden attack by a French warship inflicts causalities and severe damage upon his vessel, Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey (Crowe) of the British Royal Navy is torn between duty and friendship as he embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture the enemy at any cost. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture"! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our theater is currently limited to 35 people, first come-first served. Face coverings are highly recommended in the theater.

#TriviaTuesday One of the earliest descriptions of Fort Necessity as a small circular stockade with a supply cabin inside and entrenchments for defense was provided by John Shaw (presumed to have been a soldier in the Virginia Regiment of 1754 and veteran of the Battle of Fort Necessity), Shaw's very detailed story of the events at Jumonville and the Great Meadow, including his description of the fort, became known to us through which one of these documents? a. A deposition ...before the Virginia House of Burgesses in August 1754 b. A published interview in the Virginia Gazette in September 1754 c. A deposition before the Governor of South Carolina in August 1754 d. A published interview in the Maryland Gazette in September 1754 All who picked choice A got last week's question correct. a. Huron, Nipissing, Shawnee, Abenaki, and Odawa In addition to these groups, also present were warriors from the Algonquin and Huron of Lorette Nations. All these nations had a close releationship with the French dating back to the early to mid 1600's. The Nipissing were strong allies of the French throught the 17th and 18th centuries and were feared by the Iroquois. The Algonquin people were very closely aligned with the Nipissing. The Huron of Lorette mixed heavily with the French, so much that their Huron language disappeared and they became French speaking people. Very few of the Odawa accepted the Jesuits teachings but were very pro French. They served as intermediaries with other native peoples for the French, especially during the early Fur Trade days. The Shawnee claimed the Ohio Valley region as their homeland sided with the French in defense of their home despite their long trading releationship with the English. The Abenaki readily accepted Christainity teachings of the Jesuits and became very pro French in their alliances and aided the French in their explorations of Canada. The Hurons, the noted canoe builders, allied with the French for their defense against the Iroquois to protect their fur trading opportunities.

#TriviaTuesday Here is this week,s trivia question. The French were allied with approximately 120 to 250 Native Americans from several Nations at Fort Necessity. Warriors from which of the following Nations were present? a. Huron, Nipissing, Shawnee, Abenaki, and Odawa b. Seneca, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Apache c. Cuyahoga, Fox, Souix d. Cherokee, Oneida,Tuscarora... Almost everyone got last week's question right. The answer is: b. "that little thing upon the meadow" The Half-King had a great dislike for the French and strongly believed the French were causing him to lose influence and authority over the Indians of the Ohio Country. He desperately wanted to drive the French out but knew he would need help from the English to accomplish his goal. He believed Washington was the key to his plan and felt with Washington's youth and inexperience he could influence him to unwittingly take part and help defeat the French. However, as Washington began to prepare his defense in the meadow, Half-King quickly became disillusioned with him. Upon seeing the fort, he told Washington it would be a death trap against the French. Half-King became very upset that Washington was going to risk all by trying to defend "that little thing upon the meadow", as he disdainfully referred to the fort. With that, he left the meadow with his people and did not participate in the battle.

With five miles of hiking trails within Fort Necessity National Battlefield and the fall season just beginning, now is a great time of year to visit the park and walk the trails that wind through the meadows and woods around Fort Necessity. Along the way, you can hike the Braddock Trace (the road that Washington built in 1754 and improved by Braddock in 1755) pass through the stands of pines planted here by the CCC in the 1930's, and imagine the area from the perspective of a young George Washington on his first military campaign into the wilderness of the Ohio Country. The trails are easy to moderate with plenty of room for social distancing. All that is needed are a good pair of hiking shoes and perhaps a sturdy walking stick; so stop by the Visitor Center and ask the Ranger for our hiking map and "explore the park".

On this #TriviaTuesday we will return to Chief Tanacharison, the Half-King and Washington's Seneca ally. Which of the following statements is said to be how the Half-King described Fort Necessity? A. "a circle of sticks in a swamp" B. " that little thing upon the meadow" C. " a fine defense" D. " This fort will withstand the attack of 500 Frenchmen"... Now for last week’s question; the answer is: b. Lieutenant Colonel George Muse Lieutenant Colonel George Muse, Washington's second in command, quickly retreated to the trenches as the French opened fire at the beginning of the battle. His action greatly exposed the South Carolina Company to the French fire and forced them to retire to the trenches as well. Muse was accused of cowardice in the face of the enemy and therefore omitted from the list of officers who received thanks from the House of Burgesses. In addition, he was denied his tract of land promised for honorable service.

Help us keep our parks natural by keeping painted rocks out of the WEPA parks. While beautiful, they take away from a place's wildness. The toxins in paint can also be harmful to wildlife. If you find one, please help our rangers out by bringing it to the nearest Visitor Center's front desk.

Just a reminder that tonight we will host our next "Films at the Fort" movie night. This month's offering is Cecil B. Demille's classic "Unconquered". The film will begin at 6:00pm in the visitor center theater. The movie will be followed by a brief discussion of the film's historical accuracy. Based on "Pontiac's Rebellion", and featuring many familiar characters and locations in Western PA frontier history, this lavish epic was released in 1947 and stars Gary Cooper a...nd Paulette Goddard. From Amazon's editorial review : "Discover the lavish spectacle, sizzling romance and intense drama of Cecil B. DeMille's vivid pre-Revolutionary settlers vs. Indians saga! Academy Award winner Gary Cooper stars as peace-loving Chris Holden, a militiaman who buys and then frees beautiful English slave Abby Hale (Paulette Goddard). When a supplier of illegal firearms covets Abby for himself, he sparks a vicious battle between an Indian tribe and a few brave colonists. "Primitive in its passion; exciting in its action; colorful and spectacular in its pageantry" (Hollywood Reporter), Unconquered is an epic accomplishment that captures an important period in American history"! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our theater is currently limited to 35 people, first come-first served. Face coverings are highly recommended in the theater.