In addition to being first in war, peace and American hearts, George Washington was first in land speculation.

At the time of his death in December 1799, Washington owned thousands of acres in what became six states, including Pennsylvania.

Evidence of his lifelong interest in real estate will be on display this weekend at the Fort Necessity visitors center.

The National Park Service recently acquired the document showing Washington bought 234 acres in what is now Fayette County.

The tract includes the Great Meadows, where many years earlier Washington constructed Fort Necessity at the start of the French and Indian War.

Washington described and dated the bill of sale in his own hand on the back of the document. It will be unveiled at a reception for donors tonight and be on public display in the visitors center tomorrow and Sunday.

Working with a land agent named William Crawford, Washington had begun acquiring western lands in the 1760s, according to Park Service Ranger Brian Reedy. In December 1770, Washington agreed to buy the Great Meadows tract from a fellow Virginian named William Brooks.

Brooks was not present at the sale and after questions arose about who had power to act on his behalf, a second bill of sale was prepared. It is that document, signed and approved on Oct. 7, 1771, that has become part of the Fort Necessity collection.

Washington paid 30 pistoles for the land. A pistole most often refers to a Spanish gold coin. Mr. Reedy, who is acting site manager at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, said it was hard to assign a present-day value to 18th century currency.

Washington owned the land until his death, after which it was sold by his heirs.

The bill of sale was purchased with support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Robert Bozzone, McCune Foundation, Chuck Queenan, Katherine M. McKenna Foundation and Charles Fagan.

After Sunday, a copy of the document will be part of the "remembrance and commemoration" exhibit at Fort Necessity's visitors center.

The original document must be protected from light and changes in temperature and humidity. But while it cannot go on permanent exhibition, Mr. Reedy promised that it would not be hidden away for the next two centuries.

"We'll bring it out on special occasions, like Washington's birthday," he pledged.

The Washington document and other items linked to the French and Indian War can be seen 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday in the Fort Necessity-National Road Interpretive and Education Center.

The museum and battlefield are south of U.S. Route 40, 11 miles east of Uniontown. Admission to the park is $5 for adults with children ages 15 and under admitted free. More information is available at www.nps.gov/fone or by calling 724-329-5805.