Holiday hours
Our Museum is closed and guided tours are finished for the season. Our Distillery is now open by appointment (please call 724-887-7910 x104). Visit our Museum and Distillery during Holiday Makers Market on December 6 - 7 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

Our Mission and History

Learn how we preserve and interpret the history of West Overton.

Our Mission

The mission of West Overton Village is sharing our history to cultivate personal connections and forge pathways to the future. We strive to uphold the values of accountability, collaboration, equity, scholarship, stewardship, and transparency. With thoughtful planning, the assistance of peer organizations, community neighbors, and friends, West Overton will continue to grow and thrive for generations to come.

Our Story

West Overton is a historic village that grew and industrialized around a whiskey distillery. Beginning as a family farm in 1803, the community boasted 50 buildings, including a general store, school, and post office by 1870. 250 people lived in West Overton and worked for the Overholt company's distillery, grist mill, coal mine, farm, and other businesses. West Overton native Henry Clay Frick, a major Pittsburgh industrialist, left his fortune to his daughter, Helen Clay Frick, who purchased the property in 1922 as a way to memorialize her father. 

Today, West Overton Village preserves 19 historic buildings across 40 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can tour the 1838 Overholt Homestead, the museum in the 1859 distillery building, and the educational distillery in which West Overton Village produces its own Monongahela rye whiskey for the first time since Prohibition. 

Our Work

West Overton Village achieves its mission by…

  • Preserving and interpreting the buildings, landscapes, and stories of historic West Overton.
  • Sharing the history of West Overton Village through guided tours of the historic site.
  • Providing hands-on educational programs for families, schools, and groups.
  • Maintaining a collection and archives associated with the history of West Overton Village.
  • Curating exhibitions that tell stories of West Overton Village.
  • Distilling whiskey in the tradition of the Overholts at our Educational Distillery.
  • Supporting scholarly research by historians and students.
  • Collaborating with local historical societies, nonprofits, and community organizations.
 

Awards

  • 2024 Trailblazer of the Year Award, Go Laurel Highlands 
  • Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Award for the James B. Beam Pennsylvania Whiskey Heritage Center, Westmoreland Historical Society
  • Award of Excellence for Forging Ahead and Falling Behind: Industrial Growth in a Rural Community, American Association for State and Local History
 

In the News

Join us in supporting the preservation and interpretation of West Overton

Become a member, make a donation, or volunteer your time.