The 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family will take to the field once again to start our 2026 season with a Civil War Living History Weekend on May 15 & 16 at the Armstrong County Historical Society, 300 N. McKean St. Kittanning, PA. A full schedule of living history demonstrations and guest speakers will make for a busy weekend!
May 15th @ 6 PM: Blood, Courage, and the Maltese Cross – Personal Stories of the 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry presented by the 62nd PVI Living History Family in the Armstrong County Historical Society’s Jim & Ann Oakes Carriage House, adjacent to the museum. The 62nd PVI served in the Union Army of the Potomac’s 5th Corps, with a red Maltese Cross as their Corps emblem fastened to their uniforms. Hear true stories of how these soldiers from Armstrong County experienced the war, the effect it had on their families at home, the soldiers who survived to return home, and the ones who sadly never came back. **Please note that as this presentation is indoors, seating may be limited.
May 16th @ 10-4: Living History Encampment: camp life, cooking, nursing, soldier drill, and interaction with living historians. Plus historical games for children and live dulcimer music in the afternoon. Join us to see history come to life!
May 16th Speaker Series: Held in the ACHS Jim & Ann Oakes Carriage House, adjacent to the Museum. Seating may be limited.
11:00 AM Private Gavin Zimmerman of the 62nd PA Living History Family presenting on Men From Armstrong County at Gettysburg
1:00 PM Historian Bill Peck presenting on Soldiers Orphan Schools of Pennsylvania, focusing on the Dayton, PA Civil War Orphans School in Armstrong County
2:00 PM Historian Bill May presenting on The History of McConnell’s Mills -The story of the Civil War Captain and the freed slave who together created the legacy that is now McConnell’s Mills.
This event is free and open to the public. The Armstrong County Historical Society Museum will also be open for visitors on May 16th from 10 am -4 pm. The museum holds an outstanding collection of local artifacts in the Civil War Room, including items linked to the 62nd PVI, along with many other rooms full of Armstrong County history.
Parking is available at the historical society and on Vine and McKean Streets in Kittanning.
62nd PVI artifacts in the Civil War Room of the Armstrong County Historical Society.
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