J.Howard Iams Whiskey Rebellion Art Exhibit

In the 1930s, artist-historian, J. Howard Iams took on his most ambitious project, his series of four large oils, thirteen pastels, and seventeen woodcuts depicting the old houses, of the principals and some scenes of the Whiskey Insurrection,  a.k.a. Whiskey Rebellion, (the famed late eighteenth-century tax revolt centered in West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and Ohio). More than 30 of these works are shown in this exhibit. Mr. Iams visually documented the local sites, events, and people of the Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794), uprising of Southwestern Pennsylvania residents, farmers who objected to a new federal tax on their principal cash product, whiskey.  This challenge to authority of the newly formed federal government to levy taxes, prompted President Washington to lead federal troops over the mountains to quell the revolt. Following Albert Gallitin’s August 14, 1794 speech in Parkinson’s Ferry, present day Monongahela, revolt was subdued and resolution prevailed. Eventually all charges against the Whiskey Rebels were dropped. Learn more about this important event in American history by experiencing the artistic legacy of Mr. Iams, who recognized that, the formation of our country and Constitution had its roots in Pennsylvania and the area we call home.