Historical society plans Whiskey Rebellion-themed bus tour

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society is planning a Whiskey Rebellion-themed bus tour to Pittsburgh on Aug. 18.

The trip will include visits to the Sen. John Heinz History Center, the Strip District, Wigle Distillery and Tasting Room and Allegheny Cemetery.

A chartered bus will transport guests throughout the day, departing and returning to Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., in downtown Youngstown.

It will leave at 8:30 a.m. and return at 6 p.m.

The price is $60 for both MVHS members and non-members. Reservations are required and can be made at mahoninghistory.org, or by calling Linda Kostka at 330-743-2589. The price includes transportation and admission to all locations.

The tour will take place rain or shine. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

Bill Lawson, executive director of the MVHS, and Frank Rulli, chairperson of the society’s History to Go team, will provide historical context around the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, which may have played a role in some settlement into the Mahoning Valley.

After visiting the Heinz History Center and lunchtime on your own in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, the group is scheduled to visit Wigle Whiskey Distillery.

According to the company’s website, “In the 1790s, Phillip Wigle defended his right to distill in a tussle with a tax collector and unwittingly helped spark the Whiskey Rebellion,

which pitted Western Pennsylvania distillers against George Washington’s troops. He was sentenced to hang for treason but was ultimately pardoned by Washington.”

In addition to a tour of the facility, an optional whiskey tasting will be available for an additional fee of $10.

The final stop on the tour will be a visit to nearby Allegheny Cemetery. Buried there is Gen. John Neville, a key figure in this chapter of American history when the federal government imposed the first tax domestically.