World War II reenactors invade Hanna’s Town for living history weekend

Hunter Wilford’s eyes were barely visible when he pulled a reproduction of a World War II U.S. Army airborne unit helmet down over his head.

But there were plenty of other military artifacts and displays for the 8-year-old Derry Township boy to explore Sunday when his family stopped at an Allied encampment during a World War II living history weekend at Hempfield’s Historic Hanna’s Town.

“He loves history,” said his dad, Jason. “We don’t want to stifle that at all. We go to a lot of history events.”

Jim Wojciechowski of Pittsburgh portrayed a member of the 101st U.S. Army Airborne unit while other reenactors nearby welcomed visitors to a replication of a Red Cross tent.

With a change of uniforms, they’ve taken on the guise of U.S. Army Ranger or Air Force troops on other occasions.

“We do a variety of impressions,” said Wojciechowski, who has been involved in the reenacting hobby for two decades.

He displayed a number of World War II period and reproduction weapons he’s collected, including a British sniper rifle.

“That gun collection brings them in like magnets,” he said.

But that usually leads to discussions of the battles they would have been used in and of other G.I. artifacts.

Wojciechowski said, “We have stoves, ammunition boxes, mess kits and Army rations, with all the little crackers.”

A fellow reenactor set up an officer’s field desk, complete with a vintage pinup calendar.

Under a small copse of trees on the opposite side of Forbes Trail Road, two Marine veterans from Hempfield — Ron Maxson and his son-in-law, Bob Isler — explained for visitors a few of Maxson’s many vintage World War II and Korean War items.

That included a rocket launcher displayed on the tailgate of a 1952 heavy weapons carrier vehicle that Maxson restored.

“It was originally built by Dodge,” Isler said. “This is the father of the Power Wagon. These vehicles were not meant for speed, they were meant to move large, heavy weapons. They were a replacement for multiple mules, horses and wagons.”

The display represented just a small fraction of Maxson’s period military collection.

“I have enough for a museum,” Maxson said. “I have over 80 World War II Marine uniforms and over 100 guns, bayonets and all kinds of manuals.”

Though not a collector himself, Isler, a former gunnery sergeant and Marine recruiter, said he enjoys assisting Maxson at living history gatherings like the one at Hanna’s Town.

“I do it out of respect for what I did as a Marine,” he said.

Josiah Bortlik and his wife drove from their home in the Cambria County community of Mundy’s Corner to take in the World War II displays and demonstrations. Allied and German reenactors fired blanks from period guns and later staged a battle reenactment inspired by fighting that took place among the hedgerows of Normandy.

“I’m just a fan of history in general,” Bortlik said. “They do a lot of great events here involving different periods of history.

“My wife and I have found it quite delightful to see it in person. It’s different than reading it in a book or looking at pictures in a magazine.”

Most of the permanent buildings and artifacts at Hanna’s Town relate to the site’s history as an 18th century pioneer village and the first English court west of the Allegheny Mountains.

But is also is the headquarters of the Westmoreland County Historical Society and has hosted living history reenactments pertaining to other eras, including the Civil War.

The World War II event grew from a program held at the site in 2022, said Lisa Hays, executive director of the society.

“We had a military timeline from the French and Indian War up through World War II,” she said “People seemed most interested in the World War II displays.”

She said the society is considering hosting Civil War and World War II living history weekends on alternating years.

Navy veteran Paul Baltzer of Albion, who is a World War II Airborne reenactor, helped to organize the Allied units for the Hanna’s Town event.

He believes living history events can broaden the scope of knowledge for those who attend.

“The most important thing for them to take away is a desire to seek more knowledge on the topic,” he said.