Murrysville Heritage Festival offers 1st chance to show off 1860s-era schoolhouse replica
Last year, Murrysville Historical Preservation Society members were hoping to not only mark the 200th anniversary of Jeremiah Murry’s founding of the town, but also to show off the period-accurate replica of a former one-room schoolhouse they had built.
Those plans went by the wayside because of the pandemic, but the society will host its 2021 festival Saturday. The schoolhouse will be the focus.
“We called this year’s event ‘Schoolhouse on the Pike,’ and it’s the centerpiece this year,” said Jessica Mallisee, society secretary. “It’s the first time we’ll have it open to the public.”
Originally built in 1836, the new schoolhouse — which sits on the same piece of property as the Sampson-Clark Toll House — is outfitted to appear as it would have in 1861.
The society’s 10th annual Murrysville Heritage Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Sampson-Clark Toll House property on West Pike Street, where society members and others will meet the public in period-appropriate clothing from the mid-1700s and mid-1800s. Period demonstrations will take place, and there also will be contemporary local crafters, vendors and food available.
Mallisee said a schoolmarm will be on hand to teach short lessons in the schoolhouse. Local band Celtic Ceol will perform two sets of traditional folk music at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets for the performances are $10 and include a box lunch.
Parking will be available nearby at 5337 Triangle Lane, off Route 22. There is no cost for admission, but there is a suggested $5-per-car donation to the society for next year’s festival fund.
There also will be children’s activities throughout the day, including pony rides from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
“I like that it brings the community together, past and present, for a fun learning experience,” Mallisee said. “And it’s a way for us to meet local folks who recreate lifestyle experiences from that (historical) era.”
For details, call 724-516-0126 or visit MurrysvilleHistory.com.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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