Murrysville historian, Freeport Theater Festival founder to receive St. Clair Awards

Local historian Charles Hall is one of two recipients of this year’s Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Awards, presented by the Westmoreland Historical Society.

Hall has documented the history of the Murrysville area through books and articles. His writing has been published by the Murrysville Historical Preservation Society and elsewhere.

Hall’s works include overviews of early schools in the area, the history of the Northern Turnpike and the Haymaker Gas Well, as well as general Murrysville history.

He will be presented with the award at an Oct. 23 dinner at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn in Crabtree, along with fellow recipient Rennick Steele.

Steele is the co-founder of the Freeport Theater Festival in Allegheny Township. His works explore the history of the region, including battles and key figures in the French and Indian War, Western Pennsylvania’s connection to the Underground Railroad and 20th-century steel workers in Westmoreland County.

Steele’s plays have been performed annually since 1989. He is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild.

This award is named in honor of Arthur St. Clair, whose life on the Pennsylvania frontier began when he settled in the Ligonier Valley in 1764.

He became one of the largest landowners in the region. When the cause of the American Revolution beckoned, St. Clair rose to the rank of major general in the Continental Army.

After the war, he served as the president of Congress under the Articles of Confederation and as the first governor of the Northwest Territory.

The award dinner is open to the public. The cost is $85 and includes a full dinner. RSVPs must be received by Oct. 18 by calling 724-836-1800, ext. 210.

Rizzo’s is at 127 Rizzo Road in Crabtree.