Learn about Somerset founder's arrest for treason for Whiskey Rebellion role

LINCOLN TWP. — The new nation's first crisis, which began in 1791 and ended three years later, became not only the early history of this area, but also of the nation.

The tales of the Whiskey Rebellion that drew forth the United State's first president, George Washington, comes alive once again at the Somerset Historical Center at 6 p.m. April 1.

The free lecture on the event will be presented by Brady Crytzer, teacher at Robert Morris University and host of "Battlefield Pennsylvania" on Pennsylvania Cable Network.

The Whiskey Rebellion was a violent tax protest against the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. The protest might have been all about taxes on the surface, however, under the surface the event was a challenge to the young nation's taxing authority, according to historians. Moreover, the Whiskey Rebellion placed one of the area's founders in the legal crosshairs for treason.

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The Somerset Historical Center will have artifacts on display of that local founder, Harmon Husband, who was arrested during the Whiskey Rebellion. He was tried for treason in Philadelphia and acquitted.

"Unfortunately, he died traveling back to Somerset," said the event's sponsor Somerset attorney George Kaufman. "His last will and testament was the first will probated in Somerset County."

Crytzer, author of "The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis," will give the free lecture at the center.

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“I heard Mr. Crytzer speak on the Whiskey Rebellion last fall and found his presentation to be very informative and entertaining," said Kaufman. "I thought his talk would be interesting to people who are interested in an important event in the early history of this area."

In addition to the lecture, the historical center will display some artifacts relating to Harmon Husband, he said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Learn about Somerset founder's arrest for treason for Whiskey Rebellion role