Historic Places of Westmoreland County, PA

Greensburg Borough

Newtown was made the County Seat (1785) after Hannastown was burned in 1782. It grew up around an inn and was located at the current junction of Pittsburgh and Main Streets.

The first Courthouse for Armstrong County was built on land purchased from William Jack and Christopher Truby. This is on the current site of the Westmoreland County Courthouse. The present courthouse was built in the early 1900's.

St. Clair Park was the site of a cemetery until the borough put a ban on cemeteries within the borough limits. The bodies were moved to their current location.

Mt. Odin Park was once the estate of Frank Cowan, once secretary to President Andrew Jackson.

New Kensington Borough

Parnassus Presbyterian Church was formed about 1842 in what was then Allegheny Township. The church was situated near the area of Fort Crawford and at a spot that also appeared to contain an Indian Burying ground.

Ligonier Township

Fort Ligonier was constructed in September 1758. It was named after Sir John Ligonier, of Great Britain and served as a garrison for eight years.It was never taken by an enemy, and was a post of protection on the way to Fort Pitt. During Pontiac´s War of 1763, Hannastown was a vital link in the British supply lines. It was attacked by the native Americans, prior to the victory at Bushy Run in August of that year. Fort Ligonier was reconstructed in the 1960's.

Compass Inn is located three miles east of Ligonier on what is now Route 30. Built in 1799 it served as a stagecoach stop on the way to Pittsburgh. Today it is restored and serves as a museum.

Penn Township

Bushy Run Battlefield is the site of a battle fought between Colonel Henry Bouquet and his force of approximately 400 British soldiers and native Americans in August of 1763. The British left Carlisle in July to relieve the besieged Fort Pitt and end a series of unchecked attacks against frontier outposts. The battle was fought August 5th and 6th, 1763. It was a decisive victory for the British, opening up Pennsylvania to settlement, but marked a sad loss for the Indians. Although their fight for their right to live on the land continued for several years, the continued influx of settlers made their eventual defeat inevitable. It is now open to the public and has tours and reenactments of the Battle.

Salem Township

Hannastown was a town whose life was short, but whose history had far-reaching affects. It was the first county seat of Westmoreland County, and was burned by a band of Seneca Indians accompanied by Canadian rangers in 1782. The town never recovered and the current county seat is Greensburg.

Washington Township

Fort Hand was built on a farm about one mile north of North Washington. It was built to protect settlers from the attacks of unfriendly Native Americans and was named after General Hand, a commander at Ft. Pitt who saw to its strengthening.