Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society tapped for filming opportunity

The Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society is getting some time in the limelight.

The 12 members that make up the museum’s board will spend the next six weeks or so preparing the historic David Leech House to welcome a filming crew from the Pennsylvania Cable Network’s television show “It’s History!”

Larry Boehm, president of the museum board, said the board received an email at the end of July from show host Carson Devitt asking if they’d be interested in being featured.

“You don’t say no to something like this when you’re trying to attract tourists and new members,” Boehm said.

“It’s History!” is a PCN show that explores the state’s past through expert-led tours of museums and historic sites across the state.

Each episode highlights a site’s historical significance. Topics from colonial immigrants and religious movements to conflicts and cultural growth have been covered on the show over the years.

He said nothing like this has happened in the 15 years he has served on the museum board, and it came as a complete surprise.

“An even stranger thing was that this was completely unsolicited,” Boehm said. “We never approached them or solicited them.”

He’s not sure how the museum was selected for the show, but board members have a few theories about what projects could have put them on the map over the years.

The museum has participated in several state historical marker projects in the past six or seven years. A historic marker honoring the namesake of the borough’s founder David Leech was installed on River Avenue in 2019.

The board also received money from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office to assist a restoration project for the building.

The film crew is set to arrive Oct. 28. The museum will close for the season a week early in preparation for the taping. Oct. 25 will be the last day the museum is open.

Until then, Boehm said, board members will be rearranging and adding to some displays to help make the place look nicer for the camera. Additional signage will also be added to label displays clearly.

“We’ve already started to see if our ideas translate well,” he said.

During the filming, Boehm will be charged with narrating different displays, focusing on the town’s history in relation to the steel and coal industries. He said production crew members requested he speak a little about the history of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal and the David Leech House.

“We’re really excited about being on (the show) and we’re really excited about being noticed,” Boehm said.