Braddock's Grave - Fort Necessity National Battlefield — Attraction in Wharton Township

About a miles west of Fort Necessity on the north side of Highway 40 (The National Road) is the grave of General Edward Braddock. In 1755 General Braddock was the commander of British Forces who were enroute to remover the French from Fort Duquesne at the confluence of the three Rivers at Present day Pittsburgh. The French received word of Braddock’s intentions and met him near here. General Braddock died during the battle and his troops including a young George Washington buried him in the middle of the original National Road to keep the French and Indians from disturbing the grave. Traffic along the Road quickly hid the grave. General Braddock rested in the original grave until about 1802 when his remains were discovered and moved to its current location. Today he is resting beneath the large monument along side U. S. Highway 40. There is a small parking lot here where storyboards detail the history of Braddock’s Grave. As you walk from the parking lot be sure to walk down to General Braddock’s Original Grave site. The Braddock Grave Site is part of the Fort Necessity National Battlefield. If you are a history buff this site is well worth a stop. Plan on spending about 30...

This small roadside monument is the final resting place along the old road of Major Braddock who fell in 1755 while fighting the French and Indians along the wilderness road they were constructing. George Washington accompanied Braddock as an aide in the army and stayed with his from when he was shot until he died 4 days later. They buried him under the road then had the entire army walk over the grave to erase all traces of it so his body wasn't ransacked by the natives. In the 1800's workers found the body and it was moved slightly closer to the modern highway. Amazing to visit this spot and think about how it was such a wilderness frontier not that long ago. Portions of the original road remain so you can get an idea of what the wilderness road...

Interesting historical site from the 18th century French and Indian war. A young George Washington was involved in the event memorialized at this beautiful site, the 1755 death of English General William Braddock in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands region. A nice stop if you're traveling the Historic National Road (US 40). Infrastructure at the site has had major improvements done recently, very nice to see. The stairs have been rebuilt and drainage improved. The original roadbed remnant has been regraded and drainage improved on that section as well. I have to say though that the solemnity and serenity of this pastoral site were marred by the procession of intentionally loud...