The confrontation at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the opening battle of the war fought by England and France for control of the North American continent. It was also the opening episode of a worldwide struggle known in North America as the French and Indian War and elsewhere as the Seven Years' War. It ended in 1763 with the expulsion of the French from North America and India. The action at Fort Necessity was also the first major event in the military career of George Washington, and it marked the only time he ever surrendered to an enemy.

For educational tools on the National Road click on:
www.nps.gov/fone

British General Braddock, commander of the British Forces in North America, was responsible for the building of a road to expand the western frontier. This road, Braddock's Road, was the first road open to the public for travel through southwestern Pennsylvania. It was a forerunner of the National Road.

Braddock was mortally wounded in an engagement with the French and Indians near Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh. On July 13, 1755, several days after his defeat, Braddock died. Young Lieutenant George Washington read the burial service at his grave.

One of only twelve in the US, the Madonna of the Trail statue memorializes the courage and sacrifice of pioneer women.

In 1835, cast iron obelisk mile markers were installed at every mile along the National Road in Pennsylvania. Each marker notes the distances to Cumberland and Wheeling as well as to other nearby towns. Pioneers used them to measure typical daily progress of only 10-15 miles. The obelisks still mark off the miles along the National Road today.