Champion, PA - Aug 27, 2009 - Champion, Pennsylvania, United States

Champion is pretty much in the boon docks. But if is right in the middle of history. Near here is Fort Necessity National Battlefield. This is where a very young George Washington had his second battle at the age of 24 with the French and he lost. He did negotiate a surrender that got him and his men out alive. The interesting thing about this battle is that George might have had a valuable lesson for the Revolutionary War. He lost the battle because he built his fort in the middle of a meadow. The forest was at the edges of the meadow. The distance to the trees was about 180 feet. The French and their indians stayed in the forest and just picked off Washington's men. He thought the French would engage them out in the open in a formation. Washington's men quickly got behind a earth berm they built. But the fight was in the rain. Washington's men were wet (wet powder) and the French were under the protection of the trees. For the French it was a shooing gallery. Washington lasted that day and part of the night. The French thought that a large group of reinforcements were on their way, and the Indians were tired and were going to leave if the battle wasn't over soon. So the French offered a surrender to Washington before reinforcements would arrive. Since there was no reinforcements, Washington agreed to the terms (even though he could not read French and he signed even thought it said he had killed French solders in cold blood in his first battle.

Washington was also building a road west to the Ohio territory. The road was needed as a military road over the Allegheny Mountains. Later in 1830, the road became the first national road. It is called the National Road. On the road, next to Fort Necessity a tavern/inn was built about 1833 to service customers on the stage couch going west.

In this area was another big battle of the British against the French. This time it was headed by a British General Braddock. Col George Washington was on his staff for this one. They had about 2,400 soldiers. They went to get rid of the French on the Ohio River. They were engaged by 600 French and 100 Indians. The French won and killed about 1000 of the British.

I find it interesting that George made it through these two battles to only 25 years later head up the American army and defeat the British.

We also visited "Fallingwater". It is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is built out of reinforced concrete and was built from 1936 to 1939. Architecturally it is a very famous house. And it sits in the middle of nowhere.