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.

Whether you walk or drive, 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 1800s. There was also a privy located near where the tree line begins below.

Continue along the pathway to find other interesting features.

 

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." The arrowhead shaped rock is native sandstone and stands at a height of seven feet. The girth is fifteen feet.

This monument was one of the earliest efforts to commemorate the batle of Fort Necessity. When it was placed here, you could see all the way to the fort area since all the trees were timbered.

 

Informational Exhibits

Take time to read the waysides provided along the pathway. One panel describes the National Road. This is the road you traveled on today to get to the Tavern and Fort Necessity. It's modern version is 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 and the Tavern today. How many changes do you find??

 

Conestoga Wagon

This original Conestoga wagon was made sometime before the 1830s. This smaller Conestoga wagon, like the one displayed 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 could average 20 miles a day. In the mid 1800s 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.

 

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 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 12 to 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 have 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.

The fan-shaped windows over the front doors 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 bar patrons or gentlemen. Can you figure out where the Mount Washington Tavern's second public door was located? (The informational exhibit has the answer)

As you travel the National Road today, look for old buildings standing close to the road with two 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.