The Saint Vincent Gristmill, Beatty Road, Unity Township, will host an exhibit of old photographs from around the area from Feb. 26 to March 12. The exhibit, which opens at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, will feature photographs from the recently released book Saint Vincent Past to Present: A Visual Journey. The book includes 100 restored images from the Saint Vincent Archabbey glass plate negative collection, which was recently catalogued and digitized. Regular museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays.

Father Brian Boosel, O.S.B., and Father Warren Murrman, O.S.B., contributing authors for the publication, will be available at the opening, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., for informal discussion on the images in the exhibit. Those images will include photographs of the Beatty train station, working coke ovens, Loyalhanna Gorge, Dorothy Patch, Saint Vincent Lake, Gristmill and Brewery, and other scenes from around Saint Vincent and the Latrobe area.

The Saint Vincent Archabbey Publications staff members who spent time digitizing and restoring the old photographs will also be present to answer questions concerning the photo restoration done for the book.

Light refreshments will be served.

Copies of the book, which retails for $21, will be available for sale.

Due to the closure of Beatty Road and Monastery Drive from the Route 981 access point due to construction, visitors to the Gristmill should enter Saint Vincent Drive from Route 30, then turn left on Brouwers Drive, and right on Beatty Road to access the Gristmill during construction.