Volunteers from the Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society have an agreement with the state to continue staffing the visitors center at the historic site.

"Hooray, it's done," Jean Loughry, society president, said in a statement following a meeting today in Harrisburg.

Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, set up the session between society officers and representatives of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Bushy Run Battlefield is in her district.

The Westmoreland County landmark was one of a half dozen state-run museums proposed for closing last year as the state struggled with a billion dollar budget gap.

When the museum commission sought help from "friends" groups and other booster organizations, the heritage society stepped up.

Since April 2009, volunteers have manned the visitors center, guided tours and carried out multiple fund-raising projects. The battlefield is in Penn Township, north of Jeannette.

First Published: May 5, 2010, 9:15 p.m.