Apr 17, 2026 By Mike Jones 3 min read

The Bradford House is expanding. Well, kinda.

While the historic 18th century house in Washington built by famed whiskey insurrectionist David Bradford isn’t changing, the foundation that bears his home’s name is branching out with another storefront on South Main Street.

In January, the Bradford House Historical Association signed a lease to 180 S. Main St., giving it a trifecta of storefronts that already include the Whiskey Rebellion Visitors Center and the Meeting House next door.

The new “Bradford Place” location will offer more space for educational events for schools to bring students on field trips to learn about the time period.

“The story of the house is big enough on its own, and the story of David Bedford and the Whiskey Rebellion is just as big,” said Tracie Liberatore, who is executive director of the Bradford House Historical Association.

The house, which Bradford built in 1788, has been a museum for six decades, but the association expanded across the street in 2021 with the education and visitors center that offers an interactive experience telling the story of the Whiskey Rebellion. The Meeting House opened up two years later and is used for various events and school tours.

Liberatore said the association held 56 educational programs in 2025, with more planned this year, so there was a need to expand its footprint even more. With school tours starting in March, the unpredictable weather sometimes makes it difficult to hold some of the programs outdoors, so the new Bradford Place will give more room to break up the groups that sometimes bring as many as 200 students.

“We now have another space,” she said, with window signage expected to be displayed next month. “It should be very apparent for people coming into town that all four places are ours.”

In addition to educational purposes, the additional storefront will give the association more room for storage for equipment and supplies used for the annual Whiskey Rebellion Festival in July.

With the expanded footprint, Liberatore said the Bradford House Historical Association hopes to offer major attractions for people visiting Washington, giving them a multi-dimensional experience. She noted that 92% of their visitors come from outside the Washington zip code, meaning tourists will hopefully travel to other local attractions, such as the LeMoyne House around the corner.

“You don’t want them to come and leave after an hour,” she said. “It’s for day trips.”

To aid in that effort, the association announced Thursday that the Bradford House had received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, which is the highest national recognition awarded to museums. Only 3% of museums in the country have such accreditation, including just five museums in the Pittsburgh region, according to the association.

“The mission is to educate. The vision is awareness. We have our local awareness and regional awareness. But we’re on the cusp of national awareness,” Liberatore said.

That mission to educate will be on display Tuesday when the Bradford House hosts its annual Spring Homeschoolers’ Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The program, which will offer a hands-on educational experience for homeschooled students and their families, is open to children ages 4 and up, with admission priced at $9 for advance registration and $10 at the door.

For more information or to preregister for the program, visit the “Events” tab on www.bradfordhouse.org or email education@bradfordhouse.org.