Fall into fun at Historic Hanna’s Town

From decorating pumpkins to hearing tales of the supernatural, trick-or-treating to military drill demonstrations, the Westmoreland Historical Society has autumn covered.

Historic Hanna’s Town will host its annual Fall Family Day on Oct. 26, with jack-o’-lantern tours planned for Oct. 25-26 at the 809 Forbes Trail Road site in Hempfield.

Fun for all

Fall Family Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features games, crafts, hands-on activities and historic demonstrations, says Pam Curtin, education coordinator.

“One thing that’s nice about our Fall Family Day is we have the Proctor’s Militia come out,” she says. The re-enactors share the history of life in the Westmoreland County militia, established at Hanna’s Town in 1775.

“Because it’s later in the season, visitors can see them in more seasonally appropriate clothing. They can talk about what it’s like for them to have to have prepared for the winter. Visitors can talk to them and ask questions. They are very down to earth and very knowledgeable,” Curtin says.

Proctor’s Militia will demonstrate 18th century military drills at 2 p.m.

“One thing we always do is offer 18th-century toys and games for kids,” she says. This year the focus will be on games people would have played around Halloween, including one called Snap Apple.

Believed to predict the future, the game originally was played with children trying to catch an apple with their mouths from a spinning cross of sticks, some holding lit candles. “We will do it in a safe way,” Curtin says.

Children also can enjoy pumpkin decorating and trick-or-treating at the historical site.

“Children can wear costumes if they would like to, and each station will have treats. We encourage people to explore all of the stations and learn about the Halloween traditions going back to the Celts in Ireland,” Curtin says.

Families can learn about the history of jack-o’-lanterns, which began in Europe with turnips and potatoes holding candles or hot coals to ward off spirits or provide a glow. Scots immigrating to America discovered this country’s indigenous pumpkin, leading to their use instead.

Educational opportunities

A Sense of Place Learning musical program, “It’s Halloween,” will be held at noon, with “songs and silliness,” according to a release.

“We plan to have that in our new education center, something else visitors can enjoy,” Curtin says. “We have space to do more programs, and we are excited about that and excited to share the facility with visitors. .. It has really opened a lot of opportunities for us.”

At 1 p.m., children can discover the life cycle and migration of monarch butterflies in an educational read-aloud of “Monarch and Milkweed” by Helen Frost.

They also can explore milkweed up close in the pollinator garden.

Hanna’s Town is a Westmoreland Pollinator Partner, an early collaborator with the new program the Loyalhanna Watershed Association developed. While monarchs are on their way south, it’s a good time to start planning for a pollinator garden for next year, Curtin says.

Following the militia demonstration, a 2:30 p.m. guided walk will take visitors to the family cemeteries on the hill. They can learn about the property’s settlers after Hanna’s Town’s destruction, and how cemeteries have evolved over time.

Cider and doughnuts will be served throughout the day in the Westmoreland History Shop, where visitors can purchase a variety of fall and Halloween themed items along with handmade home decor, jewelry, books, baking mixes and jams.

When darkness falls

Jack-o’-lantern tours will take place at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. each day, and are likely more suitable for teens and adults, Curtin says.

“There is nothing really scary. It’s not like a haunted house program. It’s definitely based in history, but it’s very dark,” she says.

With a focus on Halloween, the tours explore the “fears and folklore” of the 18th century.

Visitors will learn about some of the traditions and beliefs Westmoreland County’s Scots-Irish settlers brought with them.

The Celtic new year, Samhain, or Hallowe’en, meant “summer’s end” and was a time of reflection and preparation for the long, hard winter, Curtin notes.

The New Year was celebrated from sundown on Oct. 31 through Nov. 1.

Many settlers in this region at the time of the Revolutionary War were devout Christians, and most belonged to different branches of the Presbyterian church. However, many of these back country residents were rooted in the “old ways,” when folklore, magic, and the belief in witchcraft were embedded in their culture, according to a Hanna’s Town release.

Visitors will travel from building to building and can ask questions of re-enactors and other volunteers.

They can learn how hazelnuts were popped over a fire to tell one’s fortune, and sample soul cakes, a European tradition.

The little pastries with berries, raisins or currents and sweet seasonings were the original “treat,” Curtin says.

“Kids would go around and knock on doors and ask for money for the poor or prayers for souls who had passed on, and they would receive a soul cake as a treat,” she says.

“We do make those for the visitors. There are a lot of different cultural traditions we do,” Curtin says.

The Westmoreland History Shop also will be open during the event.