‘Legends Along the Braddock Road’ walks set
There are stories that you don’t hear on most tours at Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington: folklore and fact, mixed in with the unexplained. Here on a field where a famous battle took place nearly 250 years ago, where a road was carved out of the wilderness, where Native Americans walked their own paths, there are stories to be told.
“We’re not making them up,’ said Brian Reedy, chief of interpretation.
“These are all based on legends,’ said park ranger M.J. McFadden.
“All based on information that we find,’ said Reedy.
The National Park Service will share these stories with visitors who venture to Fort Necessity on the evenings of Aug. 9 and 10 for a special new presentation called “Legends Along the Braddock Road.’
The program will include three tours each evening at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. They begin at the visitor’s center and then proceed past the fort, into the field and into the woods where a trace of the Braddock Road is found.
Along the way, visitors will encounter storytellers who will share the legends that are not part of the regular tour. Generally, the park service doesn’t include them because of a matter of time. They need to deliver basic information.
“Visitors sometimes don’t have two or three hours,’ said Reedy. “So we’re always geared towards getting the meat and potatoes out. We don’t have time for dessert.’
So think of this as a special treat served up with time and attention that the park service gives to all its extra programs.
Treats are also what the public wants. Special programs given by the park service are generally well attended, but those that deal with legends are especially appreciated.
“One of the most often asked questions is ‘Do you have any ghosts?” noted Reedy. “That’s asked at any national park that has history associated with it: anything involving death or tragedy.’
There was certainly tragedy experienced at Fort Necessity when 30 men died on July 3, 1754 in the first battle of what became the French and Indian War. Here a young George Washington, representing the British, faced off against the French and their Native American allies, in a battle that ended with the British defeat.
Just weeks prior, Washington and his men took a French camp commanded by Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville by surprise. Ten French were killed in that attack on ground that’s also part of the national park, now referred to as Jumonville Glen.
And a year later, General Edward Braddock, commander of chief of all British forces in North America, died nearby in another section of the park following the tragic Battle of the Monongahela. His body was hidden in the road that bears his name, discovered in 1804 by workmen and then reburied near present-day Route 40.
So there are many stories to be told and a storytelling session at the end of the day seems just about a perfect time to do it. And it’s a great opportunity to see the park during a different time of the day.
“When the fog comes across the meadow,’ said McFadden, “it’s very nice.’
It’s been 11 years since the park service conducted a nighttime tour at Fort Necessity. For the better part of past decade, the park service has instead presented a nighttime tour and legends program at Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Springhill Township. Stories associated with Gallatin, his wife Sophia who died at an early age, as well as local legends have been shared with the public.
The tours have been extremely popular.
But, as Reedy explained, “We needed a break to keep it fresh. So we had the idea of bringing it here.’
The idea evolved to rotate the tours between the sister parks. It will be here at Fort Necessity this year, move to Friendship Hill next year when the legends will carry a Lewis & Clark theme to coincide with the anniversary of the famous expedition, and return to Fort Necessity to concur with the launching of the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War.
In a preview of this year’s walk, Reedy and McFadden took the Herald-Standard along the path that will be used in the Fort Necessity program.
The park rangers walked down the paved path from the visitor’s center, past the fort and to the place where cut grass meets tall grass in the meadow.
“We’ll set up a fire pit just beyond the fort for the first storyteller,’ said Reedy. “Maybe some tents.’
The first storyteller will be Terri Springer who will explain Native American stories.
The visitors will then proceed through a path cut through the tall grass and into the woods along a beautiful trail. McFadden explained the park service maintains five miles of trails here.
Reedy stops in the woods: “This is a section of the original Braddock Road that we use in the park trails system. Washington came here through the middle of the meadow.’
Reedy is the second storyteller, talking about the Braddock campaign of 1755 and the finding of Braddock’s remains in 1804.
Another spot in the woods will find storytellers Jarrod Clevinger and Christian Fearer telling ghost stories affiliated with Braddock Road. They include stories about a place called Peddler’s Rock.
As McFadden noted, “There are also stories of spectral deer and dogs.’
McFadden will be the final storyteller at yet another spot in the woods.
“I’m doing modern stories that are park service-related, things we’ve seen and heard,’ she said.
McFadden won’t divulge any of these stories but Reedy noted, “A few deal with the visitor’s center.’
Visitors will continue on the trail as it forms a loop back to the fort and they can walk back to the visitor’s center, which will remain open for use of restrooms and water.
Visitors must also check in here for this year’s tours, which now require reservations and are limited to 30 people per tour. There is also a $1 interpretive fee charged per visitor.
The park rangers estimated the walk is about a half-mile long. They recommend visitors wear sturdy shoes. In the event of severe weather, “Legends Along the Braddock Road’ will be canceled. There will be no rain date.
Fort Necessity National Battlefield is located along Route 40 in Farmington. The visitor’s center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Jumonville Glen is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Braddock’s Grave and the park grounds are open from sunrise to sunset.
The park service will also host Trent’s Company, a Virginia regiment sent to build a fort at the Fork of the Ohio in 1754, at Fort Necessity on Aug. 3-4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Great Meadows.
For more information or reservations for the Legends program, phone 724-329-5805.