Cook Farm preparing to mark 250 years in 2026
Volunteers are being sought to participate in the celebration.
Although it’s a year away, the Cook Farm has started preparing for the celebration of its 250th birthday.
Located in Washington Township along the Westmoreland and Fayette county lines, the farm was established in 1772 and completed in 1776. Mark Cook inherited the property from his parents, Robert and Marlene Cook, including a house that has been in the family for generations.
Col. Edward Cook built the farmhouse, and it’s been in his family ever since. According to Mark, the farm has experienced many changes since then, but many of its original features remain.
To celebrate its history and its 250th anniversary, the Cooks decided to have a celebration next year, in partnership with the Rostraver Township Historical Society. Preparations are underway, and the Cooks are looking for volunteers to help.
“This house has been around for 250 years, and by you coming here and giving us help, we can make sure this house is here for another 250 years,” Mark said to potential volunteers. “And by you helping us, you’re going to help another generation of people to know the history.”
They’re also looking for crafters, artisans, reenactors, food trucks, musicians and antique vendors. Mark is hoping to have several history reenactments, even some surrounding the Whiskey Rebellion.
He said Col. Cook was in- volved with the Whiskey Rebellion and had connections to President George Washington. The Whiskey Rebellion occurred when early American settlers in Western Pennsylvania rebelled against a liquor tax, and the federal government stepped in to quell the uprising. It was one of the first examples of the government exercising its power.
Mark described how Washington once stood on the front porch of the Cook farmhouse.
“For the semiquincentennial of the United States, we know there are a lot of things going to be going on,” Mark said. “So we decided to pick August before school got started. We’re hoping to have food trucks and historical vendors here.
“We’re hoping to have some type of Civil War encampment or people here, maybe even some actual cannon fire from cannons, even some reenactors for the Whiskey Rebellion.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can respond through the Cook Farm Facebook page, by calling Mark at 724-415-9334 or by contacting the Rostraver Historical Society at rostra-vertwphistoricalsociety@ gmail.com.
The house still has some of its original flooring and fireplaces, and Mark said they’ve tried to recover some of its original structure. Some of the door frames have dents from years of carrying materials over them.
Also still in place are the original smokehouse, summer kitchen and washhouse. The house still has an outside bake oven that Mark and his family use to grill food.
While growing up, Mark lived in another Cook house on the same property, but he still spent a lot of time in the farmhouse.
“As a kid, I would come over here, and grandma lived here, so we would walk through the fields,” he said. “We would always come here and pick the apples. There’s still some apple trees back there, and my brother’s actually picking apples now. So we would come here and pick the apples, and we would kind of feed the cows.”
They’ve done renovations on the house over the years, and while tearing things down, they’ve found several treasures. While renovating, he’s found an old gun and several bottles filled with messages detailing certain structures of the house.
Mark’s parents helped establish the Rostraver Historical Society, and his family remain members today. He’s the current vice president of the society.
Cook Farm used to officially be part of Rostraver Township and Westmoreland County, but after some county line shifts, it’s now in Washington Township and Fayette County.
In preparation for the 250th celebration, the Cooks will submit paperwork to become a Pennsylvania Bicentennial Farm. Mark said that it should be official by their celebration, which is planned for Aug. 8, 2026.
