The Westmoreland County Historical Society pursues its mission by
• maintaining a 5,000 volume non-circulating research library of genealogical and local, county and regional materials
• documenting and managing a 700,000 item archives collection
• managing Historic Hanna’s Town, a Revolutionary War period frontier settlement
• conducting programs at Historic Hanna’s Town and maintaining its archaeological collection of over 1 million artifacts
• managing a curatorial collection
• providing educational materials via outreach to schools and teachers
• conducting adult, children, and family programs on a broad range of historical topics
• publishing a tri-annual journal "Westmoreland History" and other occasional publications
• providing research services related to genealogy and county history

The Westmoreland County Historical Society is dedicated to advancing its mission by forming collaborations and partnerships with other public and private organizations that share the Society’s philosophy and mission. We work to promote interest and knowledge of our area’s past and cultural heritage in order to instill in our county’s citizens a sense of pride in local history which may act as a foundation for future success.

Governed by a policy-making Board of Directors, the Society’s day-to–day operation is the responsibility of a full-time Executive Director. The staff includes an Education Coordinator, a Library Coordinator, two part-time assistants, and paid seasonal help at Historic Hanna’s Town. Over 175 volunteers provide a variety of services and support for the operation.

The Society, in partnership with Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation since 1969, administers Historic Hanna’s Town, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hanna’s Town, founded in 1773, served as the first seat of county government and the first English court west of the Allegheny Mountains. In one of the last battles of the Revolution, the settlement was destroyed by Native Americans and their British allies in 1782. Using reconstructed and relocated log buildings, the Society provides interpretive educational programs from May through October related to life on the colonial frontier of western Pennsylvania and Hanna’s Town’s historical significance in local, state and national affairs and the archaeology at the site.

The Westmoreland County Historical Society is an educational organization dedicated to acquiring and managing resources related to the history of Westmoreland County and using these resources to encourage a diverse audience to make connections to the past, develop an understanding of the present, and provide direction for the future.

Mission: to acquire and manage resources related to the history of Westmoreland County and to use these resources to encourage a divers audience to make connections to the past; develop an understanding of the present; and provide direction for the future.

The Westmoreland County Historical Society, founded in 1908, is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation registered in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recognizes WCHS as the official county historical society for Westmoreland County.