Friendship Hill Association

Friendship Hill National Historic Site's Visitor Center is now open for Summer hours! The Albert Gallatin House is now open from 9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week. T...he Park grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. Please note: Due to Covid-19 masks are required in all Federal buildings, so plan ahead!

The Friendship Hill Association has lost one of it’s dearest, longtime members, Donna Cocalis. We will miss her calm, gentle, friendly presence at our events. I personally have enjoyed her friendship since the first FestiFall that I met her at several years ago. Donna, we all will miss you! Donna Jean Cocalis, 77, of Point Marion, Pa., passed away Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at the Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. Born in Oshkosh, WI on Jan. 23, 1944, she was the first of ...Continue reading

It was recognized by George Washington that the new nation needed a reliable roadway for farmers and traders to move their goods, and for settlers to move west.... Most of the roads west were rough to say the least. In 1784, when Washington traveled to the west to get a better understanding of what the new nation was asking for, he met a young surveyor, Albert Gallatin, who had ideas about possible routes that would work. Eighteen years later, as Thomas Jefferson's Treasury Secretary, ALBERT GALLATIN, was a primary advocate for THE NATIONAL ROAD. IN 1806, Congress authorized the funding for what would became the nation’s first federally funded interstate highway. President Thomas Jefferson signed the Act into law. Construction began in the spring of 1811 and headed west from the town of Cumberland, in western Maryland. In its beginning, The National Road, was also called the Cumberland Road. As you can imagine, construction of a wide road, with a strong, smooth foundation was not easy. The National Road construction slowly continued westward and eventually reached Vandalia, Illinois, in 1839. However, as railways then seemed a possibility... the funding for the National Road was not renewed. By the mid 1800s, fewer and fewer used the National Road because railroad travel was much faster. But when the automobile arrived in the early 20th century, the route of the National Road became popular again. The first federal highway, The National Road, became the route for a portion of US Route 40. It is still possible to travel portions of the National Road today. Pictured is a statue of Albert Gallatin located at Friendship Hill which was his home in Pennsylvania.

Happy 260th Birthday, Albert Gallatin!

Friendship Hill is a very popular place to take photos.

When shopping on Cyber Monday and this holiday season, please consider using Amazon Smile and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the Friendship Hill Association! Thank you! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1485211

Winter Hours at Friendship Hill National Historic Site It's that time of the year when the summer heat is cooling off, the trees are starting to change colors a...nd lose their leaves, and the Rangers begin bundling up in their Winter uniform. Another change that comes along with these signs is the change in the hours of operation! Starting October 5th the grounds will be open daily from dawn to dusk, and the Albert Gallatin House will only be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm.

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.

Subject: Hear Ye, Hear Ye Cancellation of FestiFall (FF) and an Urgent Call for Volunteers On behalf of the Board of Directors, this letter is to notify you that FestiFall 2020 has been cancelled. This cancellation is due to the corona virus (CV) and several other issues that became insurmountable. During this time, it seems like life has come to a standstill, impacting our lives in a myriad of ways. The behavior needed to combat the ever-rising number of positive cases and... death has resulted in severe changes to our lives. Attendance at FestiFall has been in the 4,000- to 5,000 range, making it impossible to socially distance. It has been our sole fund-raising event over the years. Cancelling the event was a painful but necessary decision. FestiFall is the Friendship Hill Association’s (FHA) only fundraising event. Therefore, keeping your dues current becomes even more important. The current FHA has been in existence since 1982. Because we could not recruit candidates for the 2021/2022 term, we will be forced to go into an interim status so that we will not have to dissolve. Current Board members wish to retire. We are hoping that members will step up to keep the Association working and supporting the National Park Service. In an effort to keep the Association intact, an interim board, consisting of three members, will be selected. The interim board will have reduced responsibilities as outlined in our by-laws. These positions will take effect on January 1, 2021. The interim board will act as a steward for the Association while working toward building a fully functioning board as prescribed by the by-laws. We urgently need a President, Secretary/Treasurer, and one Board member or an alternate configuration of a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Please call George Relic at 724-583-9217, if you are interested. Much of Association business can be accomplished via telephone conferencing. We are financially sound, with some $39,000 in assets. We hope you will volunteer for the challenge of keeping FHA and FestiFall alive. Friendship Hill Association PO Box 124 Point Marion, PA Sincerely, Your Friendship Hill Association Board of Directors

#OnThisDay 204 years ago Albert Gallatin was appointed as a Minister to France! He would hold this position for nearly 7 years, and would retire on May 16, 1823. Portrait of Albert Gallatin by Rembrandt Peale, 1805