FARMINGTON - Join a park ranger on Friday, May 28 at 7:00 a.m. for an anniversary hike at Jumonville Glen. May 28 will mark the 267th anniversary of the 1754 skirmish between French, Native Americans, and British soldiers in this isolated, wooded glen. This action marked George Washington's first combat experience and set off a chain of events leading the battle at Fort Necessity. The ranger will present different facets of the skirmish and how this small action touched off a global war.
The program begins at the parking lot at the Jumonville Glen unit of Fort Necessity National Battlefield located off Jumonville Road, two miles north of the summit, US Rte. 40. The hike will be about one mile roundtrip over rocky and slippery terrain. Please dress for the weather and have appropriate footwear. The program will be up to 90 minutes long and will be held rain or shine.
National Park Service staff will also be encamped at Fort Necessity National Battlefield on Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29 and 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. They will present an accurate, historical portrayal of dress, customs, manners and activities of French & Indian War soldiers.
Regular summer programming will begin June 6. Park Rangers will lead history walks, interpreting the events surrounding the battle of Fort Necessity and their impact on world history, daily at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Special Soldier Life program will follow the Ranger Walks. Soldiers in period uniform offer illuminating facts about military life on the 1750s frontier. The soldiers will demonstrate historic black powder weapons Wednesday through Sunday throughout the summer.
Admission to the park and the programs is free. For more information on this and other programs at Fort Necessity, please call 724-329-5512 or visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/fone.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
