Vandergrift historical museum reopens from pandemic closure

A historical treasure in Vandergrift has reopened.

Vandergrift Mayor Barbara Turiak said she welcomed the news of the Victorian Vandergrift Museum and Historical Society opening again, after being closed for more than a year because of the pandemic.

“It’s a must-visit in Vandergrift,” she said. “The volunteers gave me a tour once and I spent three hours there and never left the first floor.”

The museum, housed in the former Sherman School built in 1911, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Free tours are available.

Offering three floors of donated items, artifacts and memorabilia related to Vandergrift’s history, society President Anthony Ferrante said the museum was fortunate to financially survive its extended closure.

“Donations really slowed down during the pandemic. People are more likely to donate when they are are here visiting,” Ferrante said.

A core group of about 15 volunteers handle everything for the nonprofit.

The museum houses the George Nasse Memorial Library that includes an expansive genealogy collection covering Armstrong and Westmoreland counties.

Ferrante’s wife Barbara has volunteered as a tour docent since the museum opened in 1990.

She said folks visiting often have questions and comments about the first mill in Vandergrift, The Apollo Iron and Steel Company, which was founded in 1898 and owned by wealthy industrialist George G. McMurtry.

McMurtry had a vision of a planned community for his mill employees. He hired world-renowned architect Frederick L. Olmsted, best known for his design of New York City’s Central Park, to design Vandergrift.

Inspired by trips to England and Europe, Olmstead incorporated European mill-town elements such as expanses of green grass, parks, tree-lines avenues and more in his designs for Vandergrift.

A revolutionary idea for the time, McMurtry even proposed all new homes including a bathtub, a rarity during the late 1800s.

“The steel mill was one of the largest, employing about 5,000,” Ferrante said. “Vandergrift was ahead of its time back then. There was electricity and heat back then and the employees bought their own houses and it was taken out of their paychecks.”

The society owns two other properties, a rental property at 102 Columbia Ave. that serves as a source of revenue and Goldstrum Memorial Hall, a building next to the museum that houses a large collection of military-related items and contains Veterans Memorial Hall.

To book a tour, call 724-568-1990 or 724-681-6667.