Bushy Run Battlefield to remain closed while crews continue tornado cleanup
PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- It has been nearly a week since a massive EF1 tornado touched down at the Bushy Run Battlefield in Westmoreland County. And while cleanup is underway, there's still a lot of work to be done.
According to the National Weather Service, on the evening of Wednesday, June 26, five tornadoes touched down throughout Western Pennsylvania, and one came down directly on the national landmark.
Matthew Adams is the Museum Manager at Bushy Run. He says they were lucky no one was hurt.
"The museum building and pretty much all of the outbuildings, none of them had any major damage to them," said Adams. "So, we were lucky in that way. But a lot of the battlefield, you know, we have about 200 acres up there, between the open fields and forested areas, and a lot of that took a pretty big hit."
Almost everywhere throughout the battlefield and park grounds, tree damage is visible, and some of the trees that came down were well over 100 years old.
There are a few suspected 'witness trees,' or trees that were witness to the battle back in 1763, and Adams says those suspected witness trees are still standing.
As of now, the park is closed while crews work to clear the grounds.
The big question is however, will the battlefield be open in time for their annual reenactment, which is set to take place the first weekend in August?
Adams says that will be a call for the battlefield managing body, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
"It seems from the meetings we have had with PHMC and the contractors that are out there working right now, the best way to do this is going to be to wait until the entire property is safe until we can let anyone on there," said Adams. "So, the reenactment is a little up in the air right now. I expect we'll be making an announcement, one way or the other, about that in the next few days."
Adams also said there will be a time soon when they will be calling in volunteers to help with this cleanup.
But right now, they are asking the public to stay away from the park and the battlefield to give the professional crews a chance to get the place cleaned and reopened.
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