Historic Mount Washington Tavern to reopen
On Sunday, the National Park Service will reopen Mount Washington Tavern, which has been closed since November 2001 while undergoing several projects. The building, which originally opened in the late 1820s as a working tavern along the National Road, is part of Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington.
“We closed it to do three projects,’ said Mary Ellen Snyder, chief of interpretation. “We did radon mitigation to lower or eliminate the gas in the building, which we were able to do. While we were doing that project, we received federal funding to stabilize the staircase and we updated and extended the fire suppression system.’
Regarding radon, manager assistant Leroy Renninger said, “We found levels that concerned us and we reduced those to below EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA (Occupational, Safety and Health Administration) standards.’
In addition, staff performed a general house cleaning of the structure and painted the trim and flooring.
The tavern was missed. Snyder reported visitors did ask about it. The annual Christmas program was not offered in 2001 and 2002. But ranger M.J. McFadden did a site bulletin and wayside signs were available so visitors could still learn about the tavern while it was closed. Last year, a Penn State student offered interpretative programs outside the tavern.
Starting Sunday, Mount Washington Tavern will be open seven days a week. Tours will be available for the public on the weekends in April and May. School groups are booking tours during the week. The park service hopes to offer tavern tours to the public Wednesday through Sunday during the summer.
However, Snyder noted that the availability of tours would be affected by the availability of staff. Budget cuts imposed throughout the National Park Service system mean that Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Springhill Township will not be able to hire seasonal employees this year. Friendship Hill usually had one seasonal employee, sometimes two. Fort Necessity usually had at least two and, at least once, as many as 10. Budgets have been reduced throughout the system as the park service uses more of its funds to provide for security.
“We’re very interested in having more volunteers at the parks, especially this year with no funding for seasonals,’ said Snyder.
Anyone can volunteer to work at the parks. An adult must accompany children. Volunteers can work on their own once they turn 16, but youths under 18 must have their parents’ permission.
The park service will offer a week of training June 9 for volunteers. For more information, phone Carney Rigg at Fort Necessity at 724-329-5811 or Kitty Seifert at Friendship Hill at 724-725-9190.
The park service also offers an intern program for university and college students. At least three have already been scheduled for Fort Necessity, but none for Friendship Hill. College students come to the park through a variety of disciplines, including parks and recreation, history, natural science, education, English. They include students from out of state. In the past, students have come to Fayette County’s national parks from as far away as France, Germany and Switzerland. Interested students should contact the park for more information.
“If we don’t have enough trained interns and volunteers, it could affect the programs we have available,’ said Snyder.
For example, while Friendship Hill is open seven days a week, guided house tours could be limited to three days a week. Plans call for the living history soldier program at Fort Necessity to be operated only on the weekends.
Ranger Brian Reedy said anyone who is interested in being a solider will receive training on operational procedures but they must also take a black powder safety course, pass a written competency test and demonstrate proficiency in safe use of the weapon.
“It’s a popular program,’ said Snyder. “When you ask people what they like about the park, they say the soldiers.’
As for the rest of the parks, the Jumonville section of Fort Necessity National Battlefield as well as the picnic area will open April 15 and remain open through Nov. 1. The grounds at both national parks are open dawn to dusk while Jumonville is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the visitor’s centers are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
Other recent developments at the local parks include a change in jobs for Joanne Hanley, who was serving as superintendent of the national parks in western Pennsylvania, including Fort Necessity, Friendship Hill, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial. Hanley is now executive director of National Parks of Western Pennsylvania as well as superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County. Keith Newlin is now acting superintendent at Fort Necessity and Friendship Hill.