The organization operating the Bushy Run Battlefield museum in Penn Township will delay its search for a new facilitator until the state decides when it can reopen the facility along Route 993.

“There’s no point in posting a job when we’re not open. Nobody would want the job when there are no hours to work” as the museum remains closed indefinitely, said Bonnie Ramus, president of the Bushy Run Battle Heritage Society Inc., which runs the site of the 1763 battle that led to British and colonial soldiers lifting the siege at Fort Pitt by Native Americans.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which owns the battlefield site, has not decided when it will allow state-owned museums to reopen, said Howard Pollman, a commission spokesman. It could be as early as March or April, depending on the spread of coronavirus in the state.

The former museum facilitator, Michael Tusay, is the new director of the Latrobe Art Center.

Tusay, who resigned as museum facilitator in December, said he has agreed to help with some administrative duties at the museum until they are able to find a replacement. He was hired by the battlefield heritage society as the facilitator in March 2018.

The nonprofit heritage society operates the museum under an agreement with the museum commission. It was open in 2020 only for the state Charter Day in March, Ramus said, because the governor had ordered state-owned museums to close to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Because of the state-mandated restrictions against large gatherings during the pandemic, the battlefield heritage society could not host its annual two-day battle re-enactment in August.

While the grounds at the battlefield are open, Ramus said the museum typically does not open until about mid-April.

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