This 15-page report of Anna L. Warren and The Westmoreland County Historical Society Research Committee was written in 1977 and reprinted in 2002. It recounts the true story of a young frontier wife and mother who, after witnessing the deaths of her husband and young son in the burning of Hanna’s Town in July of 1782, was taken with her infant daughter to Canada as a captive of the Indians. She was eventually returned during the prisoner exchange following the peace treaties after the Revolution. Much of the research for this paper makes use of depositions taken regarding her eligibility for a Revolutionary War pension. This story of Elizabeth, who died many years after this event in 1842 at the age of 87, is a remarkable one that adds a very personal note to the closing months of the Revolutionary War in Westmoreland County.

Cost: $3.00 | S&H: $2.00

These documents and letters shed light on a little-publicized episode in General Arthur St. Clair’s later years. He died poverty-stricken in 1818 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This 49-page compilation by the Westmoreland County Historical Society transcribes original documents written by St. Clair and his son in attempts to recover personal funds advanced to recruiting and outfitting of soldiers under the general’s command. Even these minor occurrences in the life of this illustrious Revolutionary War soldier and patriot should be brought to the public.

Cost: $3.00 | S&H: $2.00

A 14 page bound paper written by Ed Hahn was a project of the Westmoreland County Historical Society. This is a study of the founding of Hannastown, the first county seat of Westmoreland County and the first one organized west of the Alleghenies. The community lasted some fourteen years only to be all but destroyed by Indians and British rangers on July 13, 1782. The site became farmland for the next 190 years and provided an unprecedented opportunity for archeological investigation of an undisturbed site of a colonial village. For researchers and those interested in early western Pennsylvania history, this will be a valuable tool.

Cost: $3.50 | S&H: $2.00

Authors Helen Smith and George Swetnam tell the delightful story of a pioneer family enhanced by beautiful and informative illustrations. This little book will have a special appeal to children and young people, but will also profit anyone wishing a glimpse of everyday living in the early pre-Revolutionary years on the Pennsylvania frontier.

Cost: $3.95 | S&H: $3.95

This 58-page set contains all 3 volumes of a research project of the Westmoreland County Historical Society completed in 1985. It contains eyewitness accounts by those who served. Much of the information is derived from applications filed with the Bureau of Pension in the years that followed the American Revolution.

Vol. I: Isaac Anderson, Joseph Brownlee, Michael Huffnagle, Robert Hunter, David Shaw and Michael Truby.
Vol. II: Jacob Byerly, Samuel Craig, Matthew Jack, Robert Orr, and Adam Oury.
Vol. III: James Chambers, Mathias Fisher, William Guthrie, Archibald Leech, Michael Sanor, and William Wharton.

If you find the name of an ancestor above, this set is a must for your research. If you have an interest in the participation of western Pennsylvanians in the Revolution, you should find this study very helpful.

Cost: $9.95 | S&H: $3.00

This 1963 reprint of C. M. Bomberger’s monograph first published in 1920 is a highly detailed and thoroughly-researched account of the Battle of Bushy Run of the French and Indian War in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The author stresses the importance of this pivotal time in early colonial days west of the Appalachians and calls this battle “the most decisive victory in all history gained by the White Man over the American Indian.” Black and white portraits of Colonel Henry Boquet and Chief Pontiac are included in this 67-page book that is now out-of-print and very hard to find. A limited number of copies are available through The Westmoreland County Historical Society.

Cost: $12.00 | S&H: $4.95

This 12 x 13-inch volume is a reprint of the original atlas created from actual surveys and under the direction of S. N. and D. G. Beers and a publication of A. Pomeroy, Philadelphia in 1867. This reprint includes a complete index of names making it easy for today’s research of local and family histories.

Cost: $34.95 | S&H: $5.95

This is a reprint of the 727 page volume first published in 1882 – the year of the 100th anniversary of the burning of Hanna’s Town. It contains biographical sketches of many pioneers and prominent men of the county and is illustrated throughout. A 113-page index will make finding your ancestors very easy!

Cost: $55.00 | S&H: $7.50

Hometown Collectibles created this 5 x 4-inch wooden replica featuring a handcrafted depiction of the Klingensmith House at Historic Hanna’s Town in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The back gives a short history of the building -- Philip Klingensmith moved from Hanna’s Town after it was burned in 1782 to the Kiski Valley and purchased a large farm there in 1805. The home on our site is a reconstruction of his cabin, moved from its original site in Armstrong County, which originally was part of Westmoreland County. This will be a collector’s item!

Cost: $13.95 | S&H: $4.95

Cat’s Meow©, with its famous signature black cat, has reproduced our Rattlesnake Flag with pole for The Westmoreland County Historical Society. This wooden miniature is about 4-1/2 inches tall. The flag of Colonel John Proctor’s 1st Battalion was made in 1775 and is now the official flag of Westmoreland County.

Cost: $ 7.50 | S&H: $ 4.95

Hometown Collectibles created this 4 x 3-inch wooden replica featuring a handcrafted depiction of the historic flag of the Independent Battalion, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. On the back of the piece is a short history – John Proctor’s 1st Brigade was formed in Hanna’s Town, first county seat of Westmoreland County and also the first county seat west of the Alleghenies. The original Rattlesnake Flag now hangs in the William Penn Memorial Museum in Harrisburg, PA.

Cost: $ 8.95 | S&H: $4.95

This durable, nylon 3 x 5 foot flag is perfect for indoor or outdoor use and is the official flag of Westmoreland County – so designated during the county’s bicentennial year in 1973. Tradition holds that the original rattlesnake flag was made in 1775 at Hanna’s Town from a pre-existing British standard. The snake in the center is coiled to strike and its thirteen rattles signify the American colonies. The letters are the monograph of Colonel John Proctor’s 1st Battalion, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
As a resident of Westmoreland County or a history buff, you would be proud to display this colorful and historical flag.

Cost: $62.95
S&H: $5.95

The brocade-style front of this polyester and cotton 12-inch square pillow represents the historic Rattlesnake Flag of Colonel John Proctor’s 1st Battalion, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Tradition holds that the original flag was made in 1775 in Hanna’s Town, Pennsylvania. With a burgundy red backing, this pillow would make a handsome accessory in living room, den or bedroom.

Cost: $15.00 | S&H: $ 5.95