Fort Necessity National Battlefield Visitor Center

OPERATING HOURS

The Fort Necessity National Battlefield Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the current schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

Information desk and gift store at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Visitor Center

AMENITIES

• Ranger-staffed information desk where you can pick up a free park brochure and trail map
• Museum
• Park orientation film
• Book / souvenir store
• Restrooms
• Picnic tables and children’s playground are located at the back of the building

Playground at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Visitor Center

PARK FILM

The 19-minute film Road to Necessity plays on the hour and half hour in the Visitor Center theater. The film details the history of Fort Necessity and the origins of the French and Indian War that was fought between the British and French in North America over the Ohio River Valley territory from 1754 through 1763. The film does an excellent job of explaining the fighting at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity, two engagements that are considered to be the opening battles of the war. The film is modern with live action and battle reenactments, so it may not be suitable for very young children who do not understand the concept of war and death. For everyone else, Road to Necessity should not be missed prior to heading outside to explore the battlefield.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield also commemorates the National Road, the first road in the United States built with federal money. The last third of Road to Necessity covers this topic of American history.

MUSEUM

Entrance to the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum inside the Visitor Center

The Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum focuses on the history of Fort Necessity, the French and Indian War, the Seven Years War that began two years later between England and France on a global scale, and the war’s aftermath and how it was the spark for the American Revolution. While England won both wars, it was nearly bankrupt as a result. A solution to raise money was to tax the colonies, and of course you know how that ended.

Exhibit on the Seven Years War global conflict at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

The Iroquois, Delaware, Shawnee, and other Indian nations of the Ohio River Valley traded with both the English and French. However, as the English began to dominate trade due to being able to provide goods at better prices, the French saw their power in North America diminishing. Driving the British out of the area soon became their only option. When fighting broke out, first at what is now known as Jumonville Glen and then at Fort Necessity, many of the Indian tribes chose sides and fought with the Europeans. A section of the museum covers this aspect of the war.

Exhibit at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum on the three participants in the French and Indian War: British, French, and the American Indian

The Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum is well organized. As you walk through the exhibits, you walk through a chronological history of before, during, and after the French and Indian War and the Seven Years War. While there is plenty to read, there are also dioramas, actual artifacts, and reproductions of historical items on display.

Actual and reproduction British, French, and American Indian artifacts on display at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

There is also a large section of the museum dedicated to the National Road, the first road built in the United States with federal money. Fearing that settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains would start trading with France and Spain due to being able to get their goods to market easier on the rivers to Canada and Louisiana, the United States government pushed to build a road connecting the eastern states to the new settlements. Construction took place from 1811 to 1837. The road ran from Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River to Vandalia, Illinois. It was supposed to end in St. Louis on the Mississippi River, but funding ran out.

Exhibit on the National Road at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

Exhibit on the National Road at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

In addition to the exhibits on the National Road, there is an audio presentation at a tavern diorama and a 3-minute video about the National Road that plays on demand—just push a button to start the video.

National Road tavern diorama at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

Video about the National Road plays on demand at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Museum

The final section of the museum details the creation of Fort Necessity National Battlefield, which opened in 1935, originally as a state park, on the 200th birthday of George Washington. The park featured a reproduction of Fort Necessity that was large and square. However, eyewitness accounts going back to 1759 described the fort as round, so beginning in 1952, archaeologist J. C. Harrington was hired to head an excavation of the site to learn more about the fort. He discovered evidence that Fort Necessity was indeed round and much smaller, so the original fort reconstruction was torn down and a new one was built in its place. This is the fort reconstruction that stands today.

Exhibit on the creation of Fort Necessity National Battlefield

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

The most time consuming attraction at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Visitor Center is the museum. If you want to read through all of the information presented on the exhibits, it could take you close to two hours. Of course most people have no intentions of doing so, but the typical tourist could spend 20 to 30 minutes without getting bored. The film itself is 20 minutes long and should not be missed. If you really want to learn about Fort Necessity, the French and Indian War, and the National Road before heading out to the battlefield, give yourself 45 minutes to an hour to take in the information presented at the Visitor Center.

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