Ligonier area museums to offer free admission for living history, art, cricket, kids' activities

Apr. 29—French foes never succeeded in capturing Fort Ligonier from the British during the mid-18th century armed conflict between the two nations.

But reenactors portraying French Marines will have the run of the recreated version of the fort Saturday and Sunday in Ligonier Borough. They'll show visitors how troops would have garrisoned Fort Duquesne to the west, before that site was claimed by the Brits and renamed Fort Pitt — forerunner of modern Pittsburgh.

On Sunday only, there will be no charge for admission to Fort Ligonier or to four nearby attractions as part of the annual Ligonier Valley Free Museum Day, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Each cultural institution plans specific activities that are offered only on Free Museum Day," said Julie Donovan, director of marketing and public relations at Fort Ligonier. "It's a great day for people to visit."

Reenactors will engage in living history activities, at routes 711 and 30, showing what life would have been like in a 1750s frontier outpost.

"It's the third year we've done it," said Matt Gault, director of education at the fort. "We've done a musket demonstration and competition before. The British troops did actually shoot at targets."

In its World Ablaze museum gallery, Fort Ligonier also will feature an exhibit of original period documents written by British officer Lt. James Grant. Eventually serving as a commanding officer at Fort Cumberland, he was stationed at Ligonier in September 1758, the month before a failed attack by French forces and their Native American allies.

Part of the fort's permanent holdings, the documents were acquired in 2018 from a private collection and are seeing their public debut. They reflect daily life on the frontier from a military perspective.

One of the documents is a casualty list from the Battle of Bushy Run, a clash between British troops and native warriors that occurred later, in 1763, in what today is Westmoreland County's Penn Township.

Details: fortligonier.org.

Other activities are planned at additional participating museums:

Compass Inn Museum — on Route 30 in Laughlintown

Historian and reenactor Tom Melville will lead a game of 19th century American cricket on the grounds of the restored 1799 stagecoach stop. Visitors also will enjoy a musical performance on stringed instruments.

Details: www.compassinn.org.

Lincoln Highway Experience — Route 30 East just before the Route 217 intersection

Displays include a period automobile and a tourist cabin. Tours end with a cup of coffee and slice of pie in a restored roadside diner.

Details: lhhc.org.

Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum — Idlewild Hill Lane, off Route 30 three miles west of Ligonier

Visitors can see the restored Darlington train station of the former Ligonier Valley Rail Road and and a 1905 bobber caboose. Kids can climb aboard a trackless train ride.

Details: lvrra.org.

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art — Route 711 south of Route 30

The museum will feature a scavenger hunt for families as well as a dual exhibition: "Out of the Light" by photographer Skip Allen and "Ruminatus" by artist Jaime Cooper, including paintings created using melted wax.

Details: sama-art.org/ligonier.

Those who visit at least three of the five participating museums in any order on Sunday will have a chance to win a $250 gift certificate to spend in the Ligonier Valley. The Free Museum Day is made possible through the support of the Jack Buncher Foundation.

Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at [email protected].