Bradford House Museum expands during pandemic
Courtesy of Bradford House Historical Association
Courtesy of Bradford House Historical Association
The Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center is located across the street from the Bradford House in Washington.
Tracie Liberatore
20210402_liwc_whiskey rebellion.JPG
Courtesy of Bradford House Historical Association
There’s plenty to experience at the Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center.
Courtesy of Bradford House Historical Association
A mural at the Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center
By Francesca Sacco
2020 was a year of expansion, education and enlightenment for the Bradford House Historical Association.
While the organization was forced to cancel its events and and experienced a decline in visitation, Tracie Liberatore, executive director of the Bradford House Historical Association, said board members and volunteers found other ways to be productive throughout the year.
“We normally open in April, but last year, we didn’t open until July. Visitation numbers were down, but we used the time for other things,” she said. “We spent the year working on our new Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center.”
The new education and visitor center sits directly across the street from the Bradford House Museum at 184 S. Main Street. The one of a kind education center focuses solely on the Whiskey Rebellion.
“Visitors can learn about the time leading up to the rebellion, during the rebellion and the time after the rebellion,” Liberatore said. “It’s a very professional layout.”
On the other side of the street, in the alley next to the museum, Liberatore said students from Washington School District and members of the Rural Arts Collaborative worked with artist, Diane Adams, to create a historical mural depicting the story of the Whiskey Rebellion.
Work at the education and visitor center prompted some noticeable changes at the museum. Although the house is a National Historic Landmark, the association can alter the addition space.
The museum’s first floor tavern was replaced by an expanded gift shop, while the second floor exhibit was refreshed to include display cases, a David Bradford family tree and a more extensive National Road exhibit.
“We want to show it all off,” Liberatore said. “We can’t wait for the community to see it.”
Spring is normally the season of field trips at the museum, but with lockdown restrictions in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, Liberatore decided to find another way to engage area students. Using grant money slated to fund 2020 field trips, Liberatore said the association’s education committee created education kits that could be sent to area third and fourth graders.
The kits include lesson plans, hands-on activities, games and puzzles.
“They went off so well, we had to find more funding,” Liberatore said. “It was really word of mouth. So far, we’ve given out 1,000 free kits. There are over 3,000 third and fourth graders in Washington County. Our goal moving forward is that every third and fourth graders gets a kit.”
As it prepares for a new season – the Bradford House Museum is scheduled to open April 7 -Liberatore is looking forward to once again executing the organization’s events. The 2021 Symposium on Life and Customs in Western Pennsylvania is scheduled for May 14 at the Stone Pavilion at Washington Park. Liberatore said the change of location follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The 2021 Whiskey Rebellion Dinner is slated for Oct. 15 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. The annual summer event was canceled last year as a result of the pandemic, and moved to the fall for this year as a health and safety precaution.
Liberatore said the museum has already begun to schedule tours for 2021 and looks forward to educating the community on the county’s history.
“People come to the Bradford House Museum for a variety of reasons, but regardless of their reason, they’ll learn about the Bradford House and 18th century living,” Liberatore said. “My favorite part about the museum is that Alexander Hamilton knocked on the front door. It’s still the same front door. That’s pretty cool.”
To learn more about the Bradford House and the Whiskey Rebellion Education and Visitor Center or to schedule a tour, visit bradfordhouse.org.