Hanna’s Town named by the Penn government to serve as the first county seat. Westmoreland was the last county formed by the Penn government and the first one located entirely west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Saint Vincent Archabbey and College was founded by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria. From modest beginnings the college grew rapidly, and on April 18, 1870, the State Legislature of Pennsylvania incorporated the school.

Latrobe was incorporated as a borough.

The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, founded in Altoona in 1870, purchased the Jennings Farm in Greensburg. Seton Hill, as it became known, would serve as the new permanent home of the sisters and as the future site of Seton Hill University.

The Great Land Rush in Trafford when a new industrial town was born in a single day with 722 building lots being sold.

4,000 people, as well as 1,500 horses and 900 vehicles, attend the first Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival. Greensburg attorneys A.H. Bell and D.S. Atkinson, as well as Honorable E.E. McAdoo of Ligonier give addresses.

254 houses were built to create Norvelt, Pennsylvania.

The Mount Pleasant Public Library opened its doors to the community with a collection of 1,000 books.

The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival moved from an October event at Seton Hill College to a summer celebration at Twin Lakes Park. In 1976, the Festival celebrated its second year as a two date event. It has grown to four days and for many people it is a tradition to attend.

Overly’s Country Christmas® begins. A nonprofit Westmoreland staple for decades, Overly’s has grown from humble beginnings at the home of Harry Overly in 1956, to a county-wide holiday tradition today.

Temperatures topped 100 degrees. Apple Hill Playhouse was Apple Hell for actors and patrons. Air conditioning was installed and Apple Hill became “the coolest” barn theater in Delmont.

Ligonier Valley Writers published its first issue of the Loyalhanna Review, a magazine that prioritizes writing and art by Westmoreland County residents and publishes photos of local subjects in every issue.

PA Gov. Tom Ridge designates the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. The 6-county, 200-mile Heritage Area celebrates the one road that changed America forever, and launched the tourism industry with filling stations, places to eat and sleep.

Fred Rogers and Arnold Palmer, together, were awarded the Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award.

The Derry Area Historical Society (est.1995) purchases and begins the restoration of the 1817 log tavern and eventual historical society home, The Fulton House.

Latrobe Art Center is founded by Mrs. Nancy “Laney” Rogers Crozier & Mrs. Elizabeth Hazlett at 819 Ligonier Street, Latrobe, PA in the former Kamps Shoe Store in downtown Latrobe. Consisting of one storefront gallery, it initially opened as a gallery space for artwork created by the Latrobe Art League.

The Norwin Historical Society produced a 181-page, hard-bound book, Then and Now, to celebrate Irwin’s 150th Anniversary.  The full-color publication documented the birth of Irwin, its people, places, and memories. Over 75 residents from around the area and beyond provided information, photos, maps, stories, and invaluable support.

Penguin Court coordinated and hosted the first Pennsylvania Master Naturalist (PMN) training program in the Laurel Highlands.  PMN seeks to train and develop a corps of volunteers who offer education, outreach and service focused on local ecosystems and who may become leaders in their communities.