History lovers will find a variety of attractions to explore this weekend in Westmoreland County, from frontier justice to forged metal crafts and pint-sized circus feats.

Westmoreland Historical Society will present its Frontier Court Days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield, where the first English courts west of the Allegheny Mountains were held in the 18th century.

The event includes historical reenactments, military encampments and drills, traditional craft demonstrations, entertainment and children’s activities.

“Our volunteers and reenactors have dedicated a lot of time and care to make this event a fun and educational experience,” said Pam Curtin, education and interpretation manager at Westmoreland Historical Society.

Laughlintown site for ‘circus’

In Laughlintown, the Ligonier Valley Historical Society will host its first Living History Weekend of the season, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Compass Inn Museum, the society’s restored 1799 stagecoach stop along Route 30.

The featured attraction, recreating an itinerant American entertainment of a later period, will be the Professor Chalmers Bodkin-Childs medicine show and flea circus.

Based in Ohio, the show is led by Eric Scites and his wife, Susan. Having researched the shows of the 1800s that inspired him, Scites noted about 20 minutes of a three-hour show might be devoted to hawking patent medicines and elixirs.

“The rest of it was free entertainment,” he said. As such shows evolved over the years, he added, “The medicine became an advertisement between the acts.”

In addition to taking in the show, visitors will be able to tour the museum, interact with historical interpreters and see how food is prepared in an authentic reconstruction of a period cookhouse.

Blacksmiths to gather

Also, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, local artisans and members of the Pittsburgh Area Artists Blacksmith Association will gather to demonstrate their craft during Compass Inn’s “Hammer-In” event.

“I think everyone is extremely excited,” said Theresa Gay Rohall, executive director of the Ligonier Valley society. “The blacksmiths are all looking forward to being together, to actually having activities on our property again.”

Admission to all the Compass Inn activities and tours is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors 62 or older and $8 for ages 6-17. There is no charge for historical society members or active military service members.

Camp, court at Hanna’s Town

Gathering in an outdoor grove — or under a pavilion, in case of rain — visitors to the Hanna’s Town Court Days will witness reenactments of actual court cases heard at the frontier town between 1773 and 1786. The proceedings will be brought to life at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each of the two days, and spectators will learn how those who were convicted of crimes paid their debt to society.

Period military reenactment groups expected to set up camp for the event include Westmoreland County’s Proctor’s Militia, 8th Pennsylvania Regiment, Fort McIntosh Garrison, 60th Royal Americans and Rangers of the Ohio Company. Militia and artillery demonstrations are slated for about 1 p.m. each day.

While encamped, members of the groups may be seen demonstrating period-appropriate skills.

“You can come up and talk to them about their specialized skills,” Curtin said. “A captain of the militia will do some gunsmithing during the day, and there will be a woodworking demonstration.”

While tours of the historic site won’t be available because of the many activities underway, visitors will be able to check out a newly constructed storehouse within the site’s reconstructed fort and an adapted log building where blacksmiths will practice their trade.

Attack inspires book

At noon both days, Gail Curtis will present a discussion of her book, “Woman on Fire: Based on the Life of Elizabeth Guthrie Brownlee Guthrie,” a fictionalized story based on the life of a survivor of the attack on Hanna’s Town. The town was attacked and burned July 13, 1782, by a raiding party of Seneca and their British allies.

At 9:15 a.m. Sunday, an 18th-century church service will include traditional readings, a sermon, prayer and music.

At other times, Dee and Paddy’s will perform traditional Scots-Irish and Celtic music.

Exhibit looks at woods

The Westmoreland Historical Society’s Education Center will debut a display of photos capturing the beauty of Pennsylvania’s trees and forests as well as “Penn’s Woods: Plenty for the Use of Man,” an exhibit of tools, images and documents relating the story of how residents made use of those natural resources through the centuries.

The exhibit features objects from the Westmoreland Historical Society archives and the private collections of society board members Bob Kendra and John Mickinak, along with items on loan from the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum, Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Saint Vincent Archabbey and College Archives, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Department of Archaeology, the Forest History Society and the American Chestnut Foundation.

Prints by artists Robert Griffing, John Buxton and Eric Sloane and handcrafted furnishings by local woodworkers Paul Sirofchuck and Matt Stein also are included.

A highlight of the exhibit for Curtin is a rifle that was handmade in the early 19th century by county resident George Kettering.

“He was known for his craftsmanship with rifles, and engraving them in fine detail,” Curtin said. “Only a handful have survived.”

Historic Hanna’s Town is at 809 Forbes Trail Road. Admission during Court Days costs $10 for adults and $5 for children age 6 or older.

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