Larry A. Smail's Blog

General Grant (Walt Marr)

  Today was the 2011 grand opening for  Armstrong County Historical Society’s Museum. Highlights of the day’s event was General (and later President) U. S.Grant. General Grant was portrayed by Walt Marr of Elderton,. Pennsylvania. Sue Hutchison portrayed his wife Julia. Grant was the general of the Union Army helping to end the Civil War.   

Nash-8 Year Old soldier

   Also, on hand were a group of dedicated Civil War      reenactors and historians. The group make up the John T. Crawford Camp #43. This camp was located in Kittanning, Pennsylvania during the time of the Civil War.  

A dedicated group!!!

Visitors of the museum could set, chat and have tea and cookies with the general and his wife. Also, visitors are always encouraged to ask questions to the Civil war group. These people are anxious to tell the important story of the great men who fought and, often died, during the great and terrible war.      

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    The Armstrong County Historical Museum opened for the 2011 season on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011. Concerns over predicted rainy weather were unfounded since rain was absent on the day and sun with warning weather proved to be a pleasant surprise.

  The upstairs rooms, known as the Military Room; Sewing Room and Native American Room were opened after much work over the months. The Military Room has suffered water damage and repairs to the problems should soon be accomplished.  Ron Crytzer has repaired damaged walls twice over the last six months and damage has occurred again.

   The opening of the museum was met with a number of visitors throughout the day.Volenteers were on hand, most in Civil War era clothing to answer questions.

An added plus for the event were members of the John T. Crawford Camp 43 and Sarah A. Crawford Auxillary. These dedicated reenactors and historians set up several tents and various weaponry and other items from the Civil War era. Loading and shooting demonstrations were, also, completed for interested visitors.

  One young fellow dressed with Civil War attire was standing on the porch early . I approached him and gave him an order to guard this entrance. After some light corrections due to his wandering eyes he stood at attention. I was called away for a few tasks and returned about twenty minutes later and was surprised to see this young man still there. i relieved him of his duties at that time with a smile.   

The Armstrong County Historical Society web site is: www.achmgs.yolasite.com/

The Crawford Camp web site is: http://crawfordcamp43pa.tripod.com/

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  The old “Indian Room” in the Armstrong County Historical Museum is finally nearing completion. Properly speaking, I should verify that first sentence to read: nearing a point in time where viewers may walk about and educate and inform themselves  concerning the native from this area of and surrounding Armstrong County,  Pennsylvania.  As stated within a previous blog entry, I expect items in this museum to change as more items become available. The building of the museum  is known as the “McCain House” and is located at 300 North McKean Street, Kittanning, Pa., 16201.                                                      

The map

Let's eat!

  The “Native American Room” will be open to the public sometime in April. The exact grand opening of the recently renovated upstairs hasn’t been determined as of date.  The military room and other rooms will, once again, be open to educate interested individuals of out local history.               

I painted a map on one section of wall depicting some of the early history of area, primarily just prior to the French & Indian War through the War of Independence.  I painted a few “Indian Style” illustrations on available wall space. It is hoped these little extras will add to the feel of the times. I have , also, placed birch tree parts; leaves; pine limbs, etc. to further add to that special woodland experience. Afterall, the Indians of Pennsylvania are often known as the “woodland Indians”.  

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Artifact Display

  Valerie Jack, a teacher for the 8th grade class in Kittanning requested I do a talk on the French & Indian War to her students. Five classes totaling over 100 students spent their history class at the Armstrong County Historical and Genealogy Society Museum. I commend Mrs. Jack for her dedication to teach her students about local history. 

  I dressed up with my 18th century “gear”, carried  along my French Fusil smoothbore flintlock, a tomahawk and other things of interest. The discussion covered the events leading up to the first shots under George Washington and his native allies in southwestern Pennsylvania. We continued on through Braddock’s 1755 defeat near Fort Duquesne. (present-day Pittsburgh) The discussion went on with information concerning why the Delaware (Lenni-Lenape) of Kit-Han-Ne (Present-day Kittanning) allied with the French, their raids, the attack on Fort Granville and Lt. Colonel John Armstrong’s attack on the native village in 1756.

Map of events of that era.

  This brief  “Reader’s Digest” version ended with talks on the smoothbore musket, tomahawk; knives and other native garb of that era.

  The classes were very  attentive and a number of questions were asked. My compliments to the 8th graders and Mrs. Valerie Jack for their interest.

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The day had proven to be a good one. On a mid-morning hike at my homestead I was fortunate to see several turkeys and found a red eft. (The land stage of a red-spotted newt.) I, also, enjoyed the vigor of a 2 mile hike.

  However, the most interesting part of the day was a trip to the Parker’s Landing Petroglyph site. This site is about a mile jaunt from the bridge at Parker on the Clarion County side of the Allegheny River. The site is almost across from the mouth of Bear Creek on the Armstrong County side of the river. This is beautiful country!

The reason for this expedition was that Rennatta and Louie of the Leader Times paper of Kittanning wanted to do a story on the Native American rock carvings. I hadn’t been at the site for sometime so I was concerned about the actual location. I was 98% certain, but because others were going the 2% uncertainty had me feeling a little anxious.   

While we were heading south along the river I mentioned that the river seemed to be up some. My observations would prove to be correct. The carvings can only be viewed when the river levels are at their lowest. Apparently, the rains were more intense up-country. Fortunately, one section of rock was exposed and a few petroglyphs could be viewed and photographed.

   The most common theory is that the carvings were completed anywhere from 500 B.C. to 1500 A.D. A few my have been done later because  they appear to have been done with metal tools. It is believed a tribe known as the Monongahela Indians may have been the artists. Why? Maybe spiritual in nature…maybe they show boundaries. The truth is we will never know with 100% certainty.

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Sunday I attended the Wattersonville United Methodist Church for their annual Memorial Day Service. The church is a quaint little church that still has an old-fashioned out house and two pot-bellied stoves in the church. Great people there!  They are a laid-backed group where a dog may walk up the aisle and lay beside the piano.

Beside the Memorial Day Service another service was being held. The service of an unknown woman. An expert in the field claims the skeleton to be of a 5’4″  woman that had had several children. If any records exist as to how the skeletal remains became to be at the Armstrong County Historical Museum  they have yet to be found. The skeleton stood for an unknown number of years at the museum. Her remains stood upright, within a wood casket in a corner of the “Indian Room”.  I agreed to work as the “curator” of that room and we all agreed that she needed to not be there.

She was cremated and buried at the Wattersonville Church gravesite. On the tombstone the words, “A MOTHER KNOWN ONLY TO GOD” were placed. Her stone was near to a Civil War veteran exclaiming the same. He, too was an unknown, but as a soldier. Civil war reenactors were present.

As I stood there she seemed to have been known to all in some interesting kind of way.

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