Fort Necessity
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Fort Necessity
National Battlefield
Mount Washington Tavern Exterior
On the Outside
Looking In
If you visit Fort Necessity National Battlefield when the Mount Washington Tavern is
closed you should still take the opportunity to see the outside of the building. Many
visitors are so interested in seeing the inside of the Tavern that they miss what is on the
outside. This handout will help guide you to the surrounding points of interest at the
Tavern.
Whether you walked or drove, take the pathway that goes behind the Tavern. In this
area archeologists found the foundation of a smokehouse as well as numerous pottery
shards from dishes dating to the mid 1800’s. There was also a privy located near where
the tree line begins below.
Now continue along the pathway around the side of the Tavern to a stone marker that
we call "Arrowhead Rock."
Arrowhead Rock
You will be able to notice from this marker’s shape
why the park staff has always called it "Arrowhead
Rock". In 1926, this rock was brought to the Tavern
from the Ohiopyle area by horse and wagon. It was
erected by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission
and the Citizens of Fayette County and converted
into the "Fort Necessity Monument." This
monument was one of the earliest efforts to
commemorate the battle of Fort Necessity. When it
was placed here, you could see all the way to the
Fort area since all the trees were timbered. The
arrowhead shaped rock is native sandstone and
stands at a height of 7 feet. The girth is 15 feet. After
reading the plaque, continue past the stone to the
two informational exhibits at the top of the path.
Informational Exhibits
Take the time to read both panels of the
informational exhibits. One panel describes the
National Road. This is the road you traveled on
today and it is now called US Route 40.
The second panel describes the Mount Washington
Tavern. Look carefully at this panel and then look at
the Tavern. There are some differences between the
drawing on the panel and the Tavern today. How
many changes can you find? - Now let's go visit the
Conestoga wagon.
Conestoga Wagon*
This original Conestoga wagon was made sometime
before the 1830’s. This smaller Conestoga wagons,
like the one displaye here, were called
“Sharpshooters.” They were often used for farming
but when freight prices were high the farmers could
make extra money by putting the wagon on the road
to haul goods. When prices declined it would be
back to farming. A sharpshooter wagon would
average 20 miles a day. In the mid 1800's you would
have seen even larger Conestoga wagons than this
sharpshooter. It was not unusual to see 40 or 50
large Conestoga wagons going by everyday. They
were pulled by six horse teams and at times they had
added help from a bulldog. These large wagons
would be similar to the tractor trailer trucks that you
can see and hear going by today – still hauling goods
along the National Road. After you finish reading
the plaque in front of the wagon, walk to the front of
the Tavern.
Mount Washington
Tavern
Even when you can't go inside the Tavern, the
architecture can still tell a story. Standing in front of
the Tavern you will notice it is an elegant structure.
It was built sometime around 1828 as a stagecoach
stop for along the National Road. The architecture
of the building is considered "Federal style." About
70% of the outside structure is original. The Tavern
measures about 50 feet by 40 feet with walls that are
between 12-24 inches thick. The roof was made of
hand split wood shingles.
The brick was locally hand made. Can you see the
differences in the brickwork? The north and east
sides of the Tavern are fancier brickwork. Travelers
who were more likely to stay at the Tavern were
usually coming from the east. This means they
would have seen the fancy side of the building first,
giving them a good first impression.
Please Come Again
The fan-shaped windows over the door would have
been a welcome sight to a weary traveler. Most
taverns had two doors, one for the ladies to enter
and a separate one for the bar patrons or gentlemen.
Can you figure out where the Tavern's second
public door was located? If you read the
informational exhibits you'll find the answer. As you
travel the National Road today, look for old
buildings standing close to the road with 2 separate
doors. Each of these old buildings were either
wagon stands, drovers inns or stagecoach stops and
they all catered to travelers just like you bustling
along the National Road.
We hope you will return to visit the Mount
Washington Tavern. Please check at the Visitor
Center Desk for when the inside tours begin again.
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
Nov-09
