On one of the few weeks without some very welcome guests, Tom and I headed to Cumberland, Maryland. Why Cumberland? We had several reasons for going. First, it is about an hour away from Fort Necessity, so an easy drive. Second, we rode bikes through Cumberland several times but never stopped to see the town. …
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National Road Festival in the Heritage Corridor
The weekend that Tom and I started working at Fort Necessity was a festival. Usually a festival means “all hands on deck” with all the rangers working overtime. Tom and I volunteered to work and help out however we could. We set up tents and prepared for the crowds of people. Turns out the National …
Christmas Shop in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania
As I mentioned last week, my brother and his family came to visit and we had a great time together. We went several places we had not visited before: Fallingwater, the National Coverlet Museum, and Laurel Caverns. One of the fun things about exploring with new people is that they see things you don’t notice. …
National Road: History Lesson 7
In History Lesson 6 I talked about Braddock Road Trace and Washington’s Trace, the preliminary roads across part of Pennsylvania. Today I am taking that lesson to the next level with the building of the first national road in the United States. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain agreed that settlers would not …
Laurel Caverns, the Largest Cave in the Northeast
When I’m working at the Fort Necessity Visitors Center, I often ask visitors what else they are seeing in the area. Most of them tell me “Fallingwater” or “Ohiopyle” but a close third is Laurel Caverns. I am not a big cave person, although Tom and I have taken tours in several pretty spectacular caves. …
American Coverlet Museum in Bedford, Pennsylvania
My niece, Grace, is interested in historic clothing and textiles, as am I. When her family came to visit, it seemed natural that we would check out some historic textiles. So we traveled to Bedford, Pennsylvania to see the National Museum of the American Coverlet. Everything that is preserved is preserved because someone cared passionately …
Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece
The #1 tourist spot in the Laurel Highlands is Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Fallingwater. Most of the people who visit Fort Necessity are visiting us because they are in the area to visit Fallingwater. This lovely house built into the side of a hill was designed for the Kaufmann family who owned Kaufmann’s Department Stores. It …
Haircuts from All Over the United States
Tom and I love our nomadic lifestyle – most of the time. One time that I don’t love it is when it is time to get haircuts. For 20 years Kenetha Bowser cut my hair and did a great job. I loved my hair short and layered. But that style is difficult to replicate if …
Helping Mom and Dad Move into New Home
Last week Tom and I returned to Ohio on our days off to help Mom and Dad move into their new home. Moving out of the home where they have lived for 56 years was a group effort. Mom and Dad worked hard to sort through a lifetime’s accumulation of stuff. Tom and I helped …
Braddock Road Trace: History Lesson 6
In my last history lesson I wrote about Braddock’s defeat at the Monogahela River near Pittsburgh. This battle was part of the French and Indian War. Today I am going to back up a little and begin talking about the history of the National Road. In order to talk about the National Road, I need …