Allegany Museum

Cumberland and the Allegany region played a key role in the early career of George Washington. The Allegany Museum’s new first-floor installation will highlight Washington’s role in our region. The exhibition space will include a large-scale model of Fort Cumberland and other Washington memorabilia from the 1750s, encapsulating his career as a surveyor and his participation in the French and Indian War or Seven Years’ War. The footprint of Fort Cumberland, including the fort’s old tunnels, sits steps from the museum. The cabin that served as Washington’s headquarters, the only building to survive from the fort, sits in a nearby park.

WHATS INCLUDED

• Admission to the Museum is Always Free

Bradford House Museum

Step over the threshold of the Bradford House Museum, a National Historic Landmark, and into imagined life in late 18th century America—the scurry of servants, the sighs of the master, David Bradford, as he writes at his desk, the hushed chatter of ladies examining a bolt of crimson silk. Docents dressed in 18th century clothing entertain and inform as they detail the structure and hint at the intrigues of the Whiskey Rebellion. From its thick stone walls, mahogany bannister, and 14-foot ceilings to its Chippendale and Hepplewhite furnishings, the house is magnificent.

It is the doings of the Whiskey Rebellion (a grassroots challenge to the newly-formed federal government), though, that provide the mystique. Did David Bradford and his colleagues really examine stolen mail at the dining room table? Why is a portrait of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton hanging upside down over the mantle in the tavern display, and why did the federal government not strive to protect its frontier citizens from American Indian attacks? Think on these things as you meander the brick path through a garden of daffodils, thyme, and edible nasturtiums on your way to the log cookhouse, with its visions of churning butter and roasting meat. This is living history!

Additionally, the Bradford House Museum is located on the Historic National Road, and within blocks of the museum, there are two whiskey distilleries, a craft beer distillery and a winery. So, come spend the day in downtown Washington, PA, as we remember the Whiskey Rebellion.

WHATS INCLUDED

• General Admission

David Espy House

The David Espy House is a historic house at 123 East Pitt Street in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Built in 1770, it is significant as the residence used by President George Washington when he was leading the troops that put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1983.

Friendship Hill National Historic Site

Friendship Hill was the home of early American politician and statesman Albert Gallatin. Gallatin was a U.S. Congressman, the longest-serving Secretary of the Treasury under two presidents, and ambassador to France and Great Britain.

Liberty Pole Spirits

In 1791, one of the first American Industries was born: Whiskey.

For years, the grain that wasn't consumed was preserved in the form of distilled spirits. It was safer to drink than contaminated water and improved the spirits of friends and neighbors. Through the imposition of an excise tax on whiskey, the grain farmers used their whiskey to barter for goods. Whiskey-making provided their best chance to survive, which is why farmers secretly met and vowed to stick together and not pay the tax. These farmers called themselves the Mingo Creek Society and planted Liberty Poles throughout the county where years later, they are preserved as a story of their defiance. Today, the Liberty Pole is displayed on the label of each whiskey bottle we create, distilled in the famous Mingo Creek Meetinghouse, symbolizing the loving appreciation for a craft that once again brings livelihood to a proud community.

WHATS INCLUDED

• Tasting Flight Voucher

Old Stone Tavern

With a cornerstone dated 1758, the Old Stone Tavern is disputably the oldest building in Pittsburgh. Ledgers discovered have placed 89 Whiskey Rebellion Rebels at this tavern while they planned their raid on John Neville's estate. Today, while it is on the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations, sadly, it sits abandoned.

Pittsburgh's Old Stone Tavern Friends Trust incorporated in 2013 with the mission statement to secure Pittsburgh's Old Stone Tavern and its property, provide for its long term preservation, and educate the public regarding its significance in United States History

Senator John Heinz History Center

Explore Pittsburgh’s rich tradition of innovation and discover 250 years of Western Pennsylvania history at the Senator John Heinz History Center, Pennsylvania’s largest history museum and a proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Enjoy six floors of changing exhibitions that present the most compelling stories from American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection in an interactive environment perfect for visitors of all ages.

WHATS INCLUDED

• General Admission: Includes admission to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, the Detre Library & Archives, and all exhibitions at the History Center. 

Wigle whiskey distillery

Get yourselves to the heart of distillation. This landmark distillery re-ignited the craft spirits tradition in Pittsburgh. A twice nominated James Beard Semi-Finalist and 4 years running as the most awarded craft whiskey distillery in the country, by the American Craft Spirits Association, the tour at Wigle pairs the quirky history of the Whiskey Rebellion with distillation knowledge, cocktails and a flight of their whiskeys and innovative spirits. Visiting Wigle is a Must-Do in the Pittsburgh region.

WHATS INCLUDED

• Distillery Tour OR Spirit Flight Voucher OR Cocktail Voucher: Tours available every Saturday at 11 AM. The tour includes a cocktail, a hands-on tour of our distillation process, a history of the Whiskey Rebellion told through the eyes of our namesake Philip Wigle, and a seated tasting of straight spirits. The total length of the tour is 1 hour.

Woodville Plantation

Woodville Plantation, the John and Presley Neville house, is Southwestern Pennsylvania’s principal link to the late 18th century, interpreting the time period of 1780-1825 and documenting the lives of the three families that resided there, the Nevilles (1775-1815), the Cowans (1815-1835), and the Wrenshalls (1835-1975).

WHATS INCLUDED

• General Admission