Encampments at Fort Necessity and Jumonville Glen provide glimpse into the past

Date: May 23, 2012
Contact: Brian Reedy, 724-329-5481
Contact: Tom Markwardt, 724-329-5811

FARMINGTON, Pa., - The National Park Service will host encampments at Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Jumonville Glen over the next two weekends. Re-enactors will present accurate portrayals of dress, customs, manners, and activities of historic soldiers. Dressed in authentic costume, they will interpret the events that occurred and their impact on world history and offer illuminating facts about military life on the 1750s frontier.

The Maryland Company will encamp at Fort Necessity this Saturday and Sunday, May 26 and 27. Trent's Company and the Compagnie Franches de la Marines du Contrecoeur will encamp June 2 and 3.

The Maryland Forces and Trent's Company portray eighteenth century British Colonial regiments and Compagnie Franches de la Marines du Contrecoeur portrays a French unit. The camps will be open to visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to explore the camp.Re-enactors welcome inquiries from the public into the happenings of those early years.

An additional encampment of volunteers portraying French soldiers and Indian warriors will be at the Jumonville Glen Unit of Fort Necessity National Battlefield from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3. Jumonville Glen is the location of a May 28, 1754 skirmish that led to the battle at Fort Necessity and the start of the French and Indian War.

The Jumonville Glen Unit of Fort Necessity National Battlefield is named for the French commanding officer who was killed in the skirmish six weeks prior to the battle of Fort Necessity. Young George Washington arrived at the secluded glen at sunrise.The French troops, who were just waking, put up fifteen minutes of resistance. The skirmish sparked the French and Indian War, a war that spread to four continents. This site is located seven miles west of Fort Necessity National Battlefield on Jumonville Road.

The quarter-mile trail from the parking area to Jumonville Glen is paved, but can be slippery and uneven in places. Visitors to the site should wear sturdy shoes

Fort Necessity National Battlefield is located 11 miles east of Uniontown, Pennsylvania on US 40 - The Historic National Road. Admission to the park is $5.00 per adult. Children 15 and under are free of charge. The fee is collected at the Interpretive and Education Center and is valid for seven days.For more information on the Jumonville affair and Fort Necessity National Battlefield visit the National Park Service web site at www.nps.gov/fone or call 724-329-5512.