Near Hopwood in Fayette County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
History Flows Through This Land
Photographed by Bradley Owen, May 21, 2022
1. History Flows Through This Land Marker
1: Historic Summit Inn Resort
Developed in 1907 by some of Uniontown's wealthiest citizens, the Historic Summit Inn is one of America's last remaining "Grand Porch Hotels" and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owned and operated by the Shoemaker Family since 1958, it continues to offer timeless elegance and beautiful views from atop Chestnut Ridge.
2: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater
One of Wright's most widely acclaimed works and, with its harmonious union of art and nature, a superb example of his organic architecture philosophy. Fallingwater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Historic Landmark, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasure.
3: Frank Lloyd Wright's Kentuck Knob
This National Historic Landmark is a dramatic and serene, crescent-shaped Usonian house. Designed and built when Wright was 86 years old, it embodies refinements of his principles of organic architecture that he explored during his long career.
4: Fort Necessity
The French and Indian War began in the summer of 1754 with a battle at Fort Necessity. The war's clash between French, English, and American Indian
this page online
5: Braddock's Grave
British Major General Edward Braddock died from injuries sustained during the battle he led to try to capture French-held Fort Duquesne. His original burial site was unmarked, but 50 years later, his remains were discovered and eventually reinterred here.
6: Laurel Caverns
Largest cave in Pennsylvania, largest sandstone cave in the world, and largest natural bat hibernaculum in northeastern US. Owners Don and Eunice Shoemaker (1972 to 1986) and David and Lillian Cale (after 1986) established an ongoing commitment to preservation.
7: Ohiopyle State Park
The park encompasses approximately 20,500 acres of rugged natural beauty and serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands. The rushing waters of the Youghiogheny pass through the heart of the park.
8: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
Named for Delaware Chief Nemacolin, the resort began in the late 1940s as a summer home and retreat for Pittsburgh industrialist Willard F. Rockwell, founder of Rockwell International. In 1987, Joseph A Hardy, III purchased part of the property. Joe Hardy and the
Photographed by Bradley Owen, May 21, 2022
2. History Flows Through This Land Marker
Marker is located to the right of the pavillion.
9: National Road
The first Federally funded road in America followed Nemacolin's Path, which had been improved and renamed Braddock's Road during the French and Indian War. The. "National Pike" reached Ohiopyle in 1811, making the area more accessible to settlers and markets.
Where Water Flows, Paths Grow
People and wildlife formed trails through the mountains. Delaware Chief Nemacolin and frontiersman Thomas Cresap improved a trail that passed near here. George Washington traveled Nemacolin's Path to confront the French in 1753. During the French and Indian War, Nemacolin's Path became Braddock's Road, then the National Road, then (with some adjustments) US Route 40, the same road you traveled to arrive here today.
[Timeline]:
1700s
1750 Delaware Chief Nemacolin and Frontiersman Cresap blaze Nemacolin's Path
1753 George Washington delivers orders to the French to leave
1754 Nemacolin's Path widened for military use, renamed Braddock's Road
1754 French and Indian War begins
Photographed by Bradley Owen, May 21, 2022
3. Signage At The Roadside Pulloff
1755 General Braddock dies after the Battle of Monongahela
1758 Pittsburgh founded
1776 July 4, 1776 Uniontown founded
1783 Treaty of Paris signed, formally ending Revolutionary War
1794 President George Washington and militia put down the Whiskey Rebellion
1798 First news report on Laurel Caverns
1800s
1811 National Road reaches Ohiopyle
1816 First Geographical Survey in W. PA: Laurel Hill Cave
1841 First beehive coke oven built
1871 B&O Railway reaches Ohiopyle
1900s
1906 Original watering trough replaced with concrete trough
1907 Summit Inn opens
1936 Fallingwater completed
1956 Kentuck Knob completed
1965 Ohiopyle State Park opens to the public
1971 Ohiopyle State Park dedicated
1973 Ohiopyle declared a National Natural Landmark
1986 First 9 miles (14 km) of Great Allegheny Passage, called the Yough River Trail, opens in Ohiopyle State Park
1992 Trail construction begins on the Youghiogheny River Trail (North)
2000s
2001 Sept. 11, 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 thwart terrorist action on the US Capitol by forcing the plane to crash
2002 Quecreek Mine Rescue
July 4, 2020 Watering Trough Pavillion dedicated
Erected 2020 by Fayette County Tourism Lodging Tax and Historic Summit Inn.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Roads & Vehicles • War, French and Indian. In addition, it is included in the Frank Lloyd Wright series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 39° 51.582′ N, 79° 39.714′ W. Marker is near Hopwood, Pennsylvania, in Fayette County. It is on National Pike (U.S. 40) 0.8 miles west of Jumonville Road (Pennsylvania Route 2021), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located at the Watering Trough roadside pulloff only accessible from the westbound lanes. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hopwood PA 15445, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: History Flows Through These Waters (a few steps from this marker); Braddock Road (approx. 0.7 miles away); WashingtonBraddock Road 17541756 (approx. 0.9 miles away); Washingtons Spring (approx. 0.9 miles away); Historic Stone Chimneys (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Perfect Brick Machine (approx. 1.2 miles away); From Jumonville to a World War (approx. 1.7 miles away); Jumonville Glen (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hopwood.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Washington-Braddock Road 1754-55 Rock Fort Camp (was approx. 0.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 622 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 26, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
