Westmoreland at 250: Celebrations marking county's milestone anniversary planned throughout year
Feb. 26—Westmoreland County's origins date to 21/2 centuries ago when local pioneering settlers wanted their own courthouse instead of having to trek to Bedford to settle legal disputes.
Sunday marks the 250th anniversary — or semiquincentennial — of when the county officially was formed from a portion of Bedford County.
It also marks the beginning of activities throughout the year as the county and local historical groups celebrate Westmoreland's story.
Over its history, the county has evolved with the rest of Pennsylvania. Industrial and mining towns have grown amid Westmoreland's rural landscape, resulting in the modern network of cities, townships and boroughs that sit between the Pittsburgh
metropolis to the west and the outdoor attractions of the Laurel Highlands to the east.
The county will mark the historical milestone with a celebration Monday for its employees, and the annual March for Parks fundraising walk, set for March 25 at Twin Lakes Park, will have a 250th anniversary theme.
Displays on the county website and in the courthouse lobby that focus on Westmoreland history also are in the works.
"The lobby will be redone," said Lisa Hays, executive director of the Westmoreland County Historical Society, which is coordinating efforts with county officials. "One of the panels is called 'Visit Westmoreland History.' It's a brief history of all the museums that are open in the county and of the courthouse history."
A time capsule will be installed somewhere on county property.
The Rostraver Township Historical Society is planning a series of programs on historical topics beginning March 14 with a presentation on "The Frontier Forts of Western Pennsylvania." At an April 11 "show and tell" event, participants are invited to bring in unusual items from their attics to see if other attendees can guess each object and its purpose.
In an April 4 virtual program, Laughlintown's Penguin Court, a private preserve of the Brandywine Conservancy, will provide tips on how residents can make their properties appealing to migrating monarch butterflies. It's meant to help Westmoreland Pollinator Partners reach its goal of 250 such monarch way stations in the county by the end of the year. A way station provides resources necessary for monarchs to reproduce and sustain their migration, according to the Pollinator Partners website.
April 6 events are planned in Hempfield and North Huntingdon.
A Founder's Day celebration is set for 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. that day at Historic Hanna's Town in Hempfield, a county park at 809 Forbes Trail Road that is located on the site of the first Westmoreland County seat. It features the headquarters of the Westmoreland County Historical Society as well as re-created log structures — including a two-story building representing the original Hanna's Tavern that performed double duty as a courthouse.
Hempfield Supervisor Doug Weimer will share the history of the township as the "Crossroads of Westmoreland County."
Hempfield is one of the county's original townships, along with Huntingdon and Rostraver.
North Huntingdon will host a "birthday party" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 6 at the Town House. A time capsule that was buried in front of the municipal building in 1973 will be dug up and opened.
On April 13, the Westmoreland County Historical Society will unveil the exhibit "Westmoreland 250: Exploring Our History Through 25 Objects" in its Education Center at Historic Hanna's Town.
The society reached out to other local historical groups to obtain items for the exhibit. Latrobe Area Historical Society contributed an early puppet Latrobe native Fred Rogers created as he was growing up, before he refined the popular puppet characters for his children's television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
"Our idea was to include objects from around the county over time," said Joanna Moyar, collections manager for the Westmoreland society. She said the display also is meant to pique visitors' interest in exploring the county's many other historical sites and resources.
Hays said the society also is working on a display that will highlight notable Westmoreland County citizens.
A central calendar of 250th anniversary-related events can be found by visiting discoverwestmoreland.com and clicking on the Westmoreland 250 heading.
Local groups are being encouraged to update the calendar with details of their activities.
Free copies of a Westmoreland 250 commemorative booklet that includes a directory of local heritage groups can be obtained during operating hours at several locations: Westmoreland Historical Society headquarters and Historic Hanna's Town, 809 Forbes Trail Road in Hempfield; Rostraver Township Historical Society, 800 Fellsburg Road in Rostraver; Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier St., Latrobe; Westmoreland Cultural Trust, 102 N. Main St., Suite 232, Greensburg; Stage Right, 105 W. Fourth St., Greensburg; and Ligonier Country Market (beginning May 20), 110 Andi Lane, Ligonier.
The booklet also can be ordered through the Westmoreland 250 webpage at discoverwestmoreland.com.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .