In the fall of 1998, National Park Service workers dismantled and rebuilt the stockade and store house at Fort Necessity. Using both historic tools and modern preservatiuon techniques, the crew reconstructed an accurate historic fort that should be cost effective to maintain. The dismantling of the fort began in October 1998. The reconstruction was completed in the spring of 1999.

Background

In 1954 the National Park Service reconstructed the fort on the original site. The original fragments of the fort are currently stored in the parks museum collection. They will be displayed in the new visitor center scheduled to open in 2002.

Pasture lands and water made the Great Meadows an ideal campsite for George Washington and his militia. The same conditions which made an ideal campsite make it very difficult to maintain the wooden reconstructed fort. The logs deteriorate rapidly a ground level in the wet soil. Traditional preservatives such as creosote and pressure treatment are unacceptable due to the toxins they contain and the non-historic appearance. These treatments add only a few years of serviceable life to the fort. The National Park Service has replaced the fort approximately once every ten years since the reconstruction in 1954.

The reconstruction work

In 1997, park management began looking for ways to reconstruct the fort so it would last longer, at the lowest long term cost. After much consideration, it was decided to use a man made material, recycled plastic for the underground portion of the fort. Wood logs were joined to these plastic bases near ground level with epoxy. The joints were reinforced with fiberglass and steel rods. The visible portion of the fort continues to be an accurate reproduction of Fort Necessity. This system should prevent the rapid deterioration of the fort logs.