The hunt is on for David Bradford in Washington
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Historical re-enactors articulate their list of demands before taking a cutout of David Bradford as a Bradford House volunteer attempts to intervene at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows during Memorial Day weekend.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Historical re-enactors call to attendees of the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows during Memorial Day weekend as they “kidnap” a cutout of David Bradford.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
A Bradford House volunteer attempts to thwart historical re-enactors in “kidnapping” a cutout of David Bradford at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows during Memorial Day weekend.
You’ve heard of “Where’s Waldo?”
Perhaps you’ve also heard of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”
Around Washington, a similar question is being asked – Where is David Bradford?
Of course, the whereabouts of the corporeal Bradford have been known since 1808, when the lawyer, Whiskey Rebellion leader and onetime resident of South Main Street in Washington died in St. Francisville, La. That’s where Bradford settled in the years after his 1794 escape from federal troops.
But the more immediate question about Bradford is what happened to a wooden cutout of him?
The cutout was “abducted” by “Federalists” decked in colonial garb at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows during Memorial Day weekend. The “Federalists,” all of them rabid supporters of Treasury Secretary and latter-day musical subject Alexander Hamilton, have made a series of “demands” for Bradford’s return: Stop hanging Hamilton’s picture upside down in drinking establishments; stop holding Bradford up as a hero; and stop celebrating the Whiskey Rebellion with a festival.
So, between now and next month’s Whiskey Rebellion Festival, people are being asked to carry out a simple task. If they see the Bradford cutout, they should snap a selfie with it and post it to facebook.com/bradfordhousemuseum#whereinwashingtonisdavidbradford.
It’s all a bit of fun in the lead-up to the festival, which will be unfolding in downtown Washington from Friday, July 8, to Sunday, July 10. It will be the first time since 2019 the festival will be back for a full three days.
“David is a beloved member of our community and an essential part of the Whiskey Rebellion Festival in July,” said Tracie Liberatore, executive director of the Bradford House Historical Association. “We’re asking the public to be on the lookout …”
More information on the festival is available at whiskeyrebellionfestival.com.