Welcome to Westmoreland Heritage

History is all around us in Westmoreland County. Important events which helped shape our state and nation happened in our area. George Washington slept here, fought here and matured here. Immigrants from around the world came to Westmoreland to build a better life for themselves and their families. Local developments in transportation coal and coke, steel, and aluminum provided the foundation for the economic and political growth our nation has enjoyed. Discover for yourself the rich history in our own back yard. Explore. Learn. Enjoy.

Tom Headley
Executive Director
Westmoreland Heritage

Painting in the United States
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art presents an exhibition of 48 paintings which originally appeared at the Carnegie Insitute, now the Carnegie Musuem of Art, between 1943 and 1949. During these war years, the Carnegie International was not presented and the focus was strictly on American Art. The show runs from June 29th through October 19th. For more information, please go to:
www.wmuseumaa.org

One Book-One Community Reading Program
Westmoreland Heritage and the Westmoreland Library Network are presenting a One Book-One Community reading program based on the book The Whiskey Rebellion William Hogeland. Programs will take place at libraries from May through September. A highlight will be a free bus tour of Whiskey Rebellion historic sites in the region. For more information about the program, please check our events calendar for the date of the book discussion at your local library.

Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival
An annual summer celebration, this free festival takes place at Twin Lakes Park near Greensburg, July 3 through July 6, 2008. Times are from 11 AM to 8 PM each day. The mission of the Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival is to present exceptional visual arts, traditional crafts, educational activities and live performing artists to enlighten, entertain and enrich the community while preserving and demonstrating Pennsylvania's historical and living cultural heritage.

Portraits of the Eastern Frontier
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, located off Route 711 South in Ligonier, is pleased to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, Portraits of the Eastern Frontier:Featuring Robert Griffing, John Buxton, and Chas Fagan. This exhibition on view May 10 through August 30, features more than 40 historical works by the three nationally-acclaimed, award-winning artists, each of whom have roots in the Western Pennsylvania region. For more information please go to:
http://www.sama-art.org/info/press/2008/2008-04-22-a.html or call SAMA at 724-238-6015

The Campaign For Hanna's Town
The Westmoreland County Historical Society is currently conducting a fund raising campaign to construct a new Education Center for Historic Hanna's Town, one of the most significant historic sites in southwestern Pennsylvania. Hanna's Town, the first seat of government west of the Allegheny Mountains, had a brief(1773-1786), but important role in the formation of state and national government. For more information please go to: www.hannastownpa.org/hannastown/site/default.asp