Bushy Run Battlefield and Museum (Thurs., 7/9/26)

Bushwhacked at Bushy Run

Most Pittsburghers have heard the name of the local Seneca chief, Guyasuta. Sharpsburg boasts a statue of him, there’s a Camp Guyasuta for boy scouts nearby, and another statue sits atop Mount Washington where the Indian sachem greets George Washington. The two, in fact, were great friends and allies against the French, except that Guyasuta learned later that maybe the British weren’t treating his tribe with much respect either. So in the spring of 1763, Guyasuta conspired with the more powerful Ottawa Chief, Pontiac, to lay siege to all twelve of the British forts west of the Alleghenies. Pontiac’s War, as it became known, was a stunningly strategic attempt by Native forces to rid their once peaceful lands of British intolerance. Within a single month, ten different forts were attacked and damaged, but only Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt withstood their sieges. When Colonel Henry Bouquet marched west to defend Fort Pitt, he turned the tide on Pontiac’s War by bushwhacking native forces at the Battle of Bushy Run. Fort Pitt survived.

The battlefield and a well-designed visitors center at Bushy Run are operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Without giving anything away, the small theater inside that demonstrates the famous battle is alone worth the small price of admission. But there’s much, much more. Early art, beaded native attire, artifacts dug from the grounds, and many armaments are all original and truly compelling. For a spring or summer Saturday or Sunday, it’s also a great spot for a picnic. The visitors center is open Wednesday through Sunday. Admission for teens, and adults to the age of 65 is $8. Free admission and discounts apply to specific groups and ages. And the grounds are free and open 365 days a year. The official address is 1253 Bushy Run Road in Jeanette.  

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