Bushy Run group hires museum chief
A 25-year-old North Huntingdon man interested in history will lead the Bushy Run Battlefield's museum and oversee activities at the site of 1763 colonial battlefield site in Penn Township.
“I am really interested in the leadership aspect of the position, getting to work with the volunteers and handling the marketing and social media,” for the Bushy Run Battlefield, said Michael Tusay, who was hired by the non-profit Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society as its new museum facilitator.
Tusay begins his new job on Wednesday, in preparation for the museum's opening on April 18. The seasonal job will end after the museum closes in late October.
Tusay, one of about 50 candidates who applied for the post, will be a good fit for Bushy Run because he has an interest in colonial history and has the social media skills and administrative skills needed for the job, said Bonnie Ramus, president of the Bushy Run heritage society. The heritage society operates the museum and battlefield site for the state, which owns the park along Route 993, east of Harrison City.
“He's eager to get people interested in history to learn about Bushy Run. He seems very enthusiastic and has a great attitude. We do think he is going to do well,” Ramus said.
“My main goal is to increase the community's awareness of the site and to attract more visitors,” said Tuscay, who studied the archeology and culture of the ancient near East and the Mediterranean at Lycoming College in Williamsport. Tusay is a 2012 Norwin High School graduate.
Those visiting the Bushy Run Battlefield can see where Col. Henry Bouquet's British and colonial troops defeated native Americans during a two-day battle in August 1763. The victory enabled Bouquet's relife column to proceed onto Fort Pitt and lift a long siege by Native Americans during Pontiac's War.
“We're trying to get more school groups to tour the battlefield,” Ramus said.
More people paying admission to the museum in turn, generates income, which is what the heritage society uses to pay Tusay's salary of $11 an hour, Ramus said.
The heritage society wants to expand the museum exhibits, said Colleen Madore, the museum facilitator for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. They will be revamping a mannequin depicting a member of the 77th Highland Regiment, which fought at the battle, said Madore, who will continue working a few days a week next month to get Tusay acclimated to the new job.
The heritage society also is looking for more volunteers, said Madore, who plans to do volunteer work at Bushy Run Battlefield as she seeks a fulltime job.
In a different twist on the use of the battlefield site, Bushy Run hosted some weddings last year, both outdoors and in the museum, Madore said.
“We have five weddings booked in 2018 and want to increase that,” Madore said.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.
