Bushy Run continues clearing damage from June tornado, receives financial support from community

The sounds of cannons and rifle fire that were supposed to ring through the air at Penn Township’s Bushy Run Battlefield this weekend were replaced with the whirring of chain saws.

Six weeks after a tornado whipped through the state historical site, Bushy Run is still picking up the pieces of the storm damage.

The EF1 tornado, one of five tornadoes that touched down in Western Pennsylvania on June 26, originated in Wall, Allegheny County, and traveled about 10 miles to Trafford and Penn Township, uprooting trees and downing power lines with wind speeds up to 110 mph.

Bushy Run’s museum and 213-acre grounds have been closed to the public while crews from Dayton, Ohio, tree removal company Paul Bunyan clear the park of debris.

The historical site was forced to cancel its annual reenactment originally slated for Aug. 3 and 4. The reenactment portrays a 1763 clash between the British and Native Americans during Pontiac’s War.

The cancellation has been a huge hit to Bushy Run and the surrounding community, said museum manager Matt Adams.

“We keep that free to the public so that folks can come in. It’s really a true public history event. Anyone can come in,” he said. “No matter how much money you have in your pocket, no matter how many kids you have crammed in a minivan, you can come to the reenactment.”

Though free to attend, the reenactment often brings in visitor donations that support the park. With the site closed to the public and unable to host its typical guided tours, Bushy Run is in a difficult financial position, Adams said.

Community pitches in

A $5,000 donation from Bushy Run American Legion Post 260 will help the museum keep the lights on until the site can reopen.

The American Legion post, based in Penn Township’s Claridge neighborhood, donates monthly to local organizations, said Cmdr. Adrian Scheeren. The Legion has supported nearby schools, food banks and veterans organizations such as the Disabled American Veterans van, which shuttles veterans who are unable to drive.

When the Legion’s finance officer John Martone suggested donating to Bushy Run, Scheeren couldn’t pass up the idea.

Scheeren anticipated a donation between $500 and $1,000. He was blown away by the generosity of the Legion’s 350 members.

“I was really proud to see (that) from our membership,” said Scheeren, of Penn Township. “They reached deep into their pockets and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ ”

Adams has been overwhelmed by the community’s support of Bushy Run.

“The first few days after the tornado, pretty much every phone call I was getting was everyone I’ve ever met calling and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a chain saw. I can come on down and help pick things up,’ ” he said. “The outpouring of support has been tremendous.”

Cleanup continues

Cleanup efforts, led and paid for by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, are well underway, Adams said.

“It looked almost apocalyptic,” he said, describing the historical site the day after the tornado. “We couldn’t even get down the driveway that morning. It still looks a little messy out there, but compared to what it was five or six weeks ago now, it’s night and day.”

Crews have focused on removing debris from the park’s main trails and open areas, Adams said. Trees and branches that fell deeper in the woods or along the park’s smaller, offshoot trails have been left in place for now.

Some of the trees uprooted by the tornado were decades old, said Rob Malley, board member of the Bushy Run Battlefield Historical Society. A handful of trees downed along the entrance to the park were planted in the 1930s.

Two witness trees — trees that were likely around for the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run — are still standing, Malley said, but one may need to come down because of damage sustained during the storm.

Inclement weather since the tornado has also presented an issue. Rain and high winds tend to fell trees that were weakened by the June storm, Adams said.

Bushy Run’s reopening date remains up in the air, Adams said, but he hopes to host a living history event in the fall to make up for the canceled reenactment.

“We can’t do the reenactment,” he said, “but we’re considering doing some form of living history events in the fall — something maybe a little smaller scale where we can get the reenactors back out here.”

The state will have to make the final determination on when it is safe for visitors to return to the grounds, Malley said.

“We’re just being very patient,” he said, “because the safety of people is most important.”