Visiting Fort Necessity National Battlefield

When your child comes to visit Fort Necessity he or she will be participating in several fun and educational activities. The students will learn about the American Indian children of the 1750s and how they learned. They will also experience how local children in the 1830s learned in one- room school houses. The students will have time to eat lunch and play outside on the playground. The park staff is looking forward to your visit!

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American Indian Children in the 1750s

In the 1750s many American Indian families lived in what is now western Pennsylvania and raised their families. The three main nations in this area were Delaware, Seneca, and Shawnee.

The American Indians raised crops for food. They hunted and fished for their meat. They generally lived in villages near a stream or river where there was a flat area for their fields.

The children learned from their parents or other relatives. They also learned from the stories they were told. The Three Sisters told taught the children how to plant their gardens.

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Iroquois Story of the Three Sisters

Corn, Bean, and Squash are three loving sisters who must live together to be happy. Corn, the oldest sister, is tall and graceful. The middle sister, Bean, loves to twine and twist about her. Squash, the youngest, stays at the feet of these two and protects them from enemies. When the moon is low, and the only stars light the summer night, these three sisters change into young girls. They wear their lovely green dresses and are decked in blossoms. The Three Sisters have been seen dancing in the shadows, singing to Mother Earth, and praising Father Sun.

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Wampum

Wampum string

Wampum was very important to the American Indians that lived in western Pennsylvania in the 1750s. The word wampum comes from an Algonkian word meaning “strings of white shell beads.” The wampum beads came in two colors, white and purple. One purple shell was worth four white shells.

The American Indians did not have a written language. The strings and belts of wampum helped them remember their history. Some members of a community were taught the history and memorized the facts and stories. The beads of wampum helped them remember and retell events.

Wampum also showed the truth of the speaker’s words. A speaker presenting wampum would not break his word. Wampum was also used between communities and nations during any important event. The European colonists quickly realized the value of wampum and its importance in communicating with the American Indian. Without it the American Indians would not believe the truth of the Europeans’ statements. Wampum was so valued by the American Indians it was also valuable as a trade item. However, it was never really used like money.

Wampum belt

Another important part of American Indian life was gift giving. When one person wanted to convince another person to do something, the request was accompanied by a gift. The gift was often wampum. The Europeans followed this custom and gave the American Indians gifts. Instead of giving them money, they offered wampum and trade items.

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Fort Necessity

On the morning of July 3, 1754 George Washington and other British soldiers were attacked by French soldiers and the American Indians that were with the French. A couple of weeks before the British had been in a small fight with the French and were afraid the French would attack them. They decided to build a small stockade that they named Fort Necessity.

The battle did not go well for the British. After eight hours Washington and the British surrendered. The next day they marched out of the fort and the French burned it. This was Washington’s first battle and the first battle of the French and Indian War. Washington was quite young to be in command. He was only 22 years old. For four more years he fought with the British and learned many military skills.

Years later he would use the skills he learned in the French and Indian War when he became the commander of the army during the American Revolution.

There were no children at the battle of Fort Necessity. However, several weeks before the battle a group of American Indians came to the meadow where the fort was located. There were many women and children in the group. They spoke with Washington and he asked the American Indians to help him. In the end the American Indians decided to move to central Pennsylvania. Those American Indian children were probably the only children to ever see Fort Necessity.

The fort that people see today is a copy of the one from George Washington’s time.

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James Sampey, the Potter School and the Mount Washington Tavern

In August 1837 the first school board for Wharton Township met. One of the school directors was James Sampey. The school board voted to build Potter School. The school opened the next year and was used until 1955. The Potter school is still standing. It is located in Gibbon Glade Road in Farmington.

Potter School

About the same time, some time during the 1830s, the Mount Washington Tavern was constructed. In 1840 James Sampey purchased the tavern and became the tavern keeper. Four years later James Sampey died. His wife Rebecca with some of their children owned and operated the tavern for 12 more years.

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Mount Washington Tavern

The Mount Washington Tavern was a stagecoach stop for the Good Intent stagecoaches. All the Good Intent stagecoaches stopped here to change the stagecoach horses. Inside the tavern men could socialize in the barroom where they were allowed to smoke cigars or pipes, drink alcohol, gamble and talk about politics. These were activities ladies were not supposed to participate in, so the ladies and children would socialize in the parlor. The kitchen and dining room at the Mount Washington Tavern were busy one morning when they served 72 people for breakfast. The second floor of the tavern had seven bedrooms. Travelers would sleep dormitory style with men and women in separate room. The overnight guest only rented a space in the bed and two adults were expected to share a double bed.

The Mount Washington Tavern served stagecoach passengers until the coming of the railroad. When the railroad made it across the Allegheny Mountains it was cheaper and faster than the stagecoach. The rail road put the stagecoach and the stagecoach taverns out of business. In 1856 the tavern was sold to become a private residence.

Now the Mount Washington Tavern is part of Fort Necessity. It is open to the public for tours March through October.

The barroom

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Some lessons school children were using in the 1800s

Underhill’s “New-table Book” from 1846 had the following poem that taught children to add.

Two pennies had John His sister had 1 They gave them to me And then I had 3 Thus you may see That 2 and 1 make 3.

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This comes from “First book in Arithmetic” by Milton B. Goff which was published in about 1876. It taught young children to count.

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George Washington’s Rules

School children in the 1800s would have learned about the first president, George Washington. As a young man George Washington wrote out 110 rules for good behavior. Many of the same rules still apply today. Here are some of the rules George Washington learned.

5th If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkercheif or Hand before your face and turn aside.

9th Spit not in the Fire…

56th Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company.

65th Speak not injurious Words…

73d Think before you Speak…

74th When Another Speaks be attentive your Self… Interrupt him not…

76th While you are talking, Point not with your Finger at him of Whom you Discourse…

97th Put not another bit into your Mouth til the former be Swallowed let not your Morsels be too big

98th Drink not nor talk with your mouth full…

107th … talk not with Meat in your Mouth.

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