Historic Hanna's Town (7/30/2026)

Thursday, July 30, 2026 (continued)

A stop at Historic Hanna's Town in Greensburg, PA, where they have waived admission during 2026 for America 250.

Steel House (c 1913) is now the administrative offices of
the Westmoreland Historical Society & Historic Hanna's Town

Westmoreland History Education Center (2019)

The special exhibit was Cut From the Same Cloth:
A Turn of a Phrase Explored Through Historic Clothing Styles;
Buck or doe skin breeches (c1790-1820)

Cream-colored silk and lace gown (1905)
and Tuxedo jacket and vest (1905)

'Palm Beach' Tuxedo (white jacket, blue pants)
(c 1944) and Chanel Suit (c 1960s)

Child's orange dress (1850s-1860s),
white dress with blue polka dots (c 1884),
and sailor suit (c 1905)

Klingensmith House (1802, reconstructed here in 1983);
the central chimney and two front doors
were common among German settlers

Wagon Shed that contains...

...a 19C Conestoga Wagon, first used to haul freight
during the French and Indian War (1758) and did
not cross the Allegheny Mountains until 1790

Steel Springhouse near Mier's Spring, the area where Robert
Hanna first registered the property as Hanna's Town in 1769;
Jacob Mier had an outpost here in the 1760s that
was destroyed during Pontiac's War (1763-1766)

Kitchen Garden behind Hanna's Tavern

Hanna's Tavern (1973 reconstruction) was a waystation
on Forbes Road between Fort Ligonier and Fort Pitt;
it served as the seat of government of Westmoreland
County and conducted the first English court west of
the Allegheny Mountains in 1773

This seems to be the bar to purchase alcohol

One could exchange currency and pick up mail

The tavern served meals and was a gathering space
for discussions, such as the Hanna's Town Resolves of 1775,
a precursor to the Declaration of Independence; plus this
is where the court met four times per year

The tavern provided accommodation for travelers...

...but it was also the private residence of the Hanna family

A pillory in front of the gaol/jail
(reconstructed 1976)

A whipping post in front of the jail

Inside the jail

Murry-Beacom House (c 1800, moved here in 1995)

A textile exhibit inside the Murry-Beacom House

Tape or Band Loom

Outside the Murry-Beacom House is a
Dyer's Garden with plants to provide dyes

Lefevre Home (late 18C, 2020 reconstruction)
on the site of Foreman's Tavern

Blacksmith Shop (reconstruction using logs from
a 1775 springhouse)

Log House (c 1790, moved here in 2025)

Fort in stockade-style was built to protect the town;
following the Hanna's Town Resolves (that boldly
proclaimed the frontier colonists' readiness to take up
arms to defend their rights against British oppression)
the county militia sought recruits; in 1782, the a group
of Seneca and British soldiers attacked and destroyed
Hanna's Town, although citizens survived in the fort
they did not rebuild the town and the county
seat was relocated to Greensburg

The fort was reconstructed on its original site

Beehive oven in the fort

Militia headquarters and supply storage