Butler History from: Butler Free News!

Butler County Interesting Facts and Ponderables....
What do you know about Butler, Pennsylvania?

Butler, Pennsylvania FYI:

• The modern Jeep was invented in Butler, by the American Bantam Car Company, an early producer of small fuel-efficient vehicles. Big military contracts eventually went to Willys and Ford.
• Cult classic Night of the Living Dead was filmed in Butler County, in Evans City. Butler is referenced in the movie when the city's name appears on a television set.
• In the 1950s, Butler became one of the first cities to install bells at crosswalks, a common practice today.
• For those interested in the paranormal, Butler is also home to a famous Haunted Cemetery known as Snyder's Cemetery.
• The first all steel rail car was manufactured at the Pullman Standard plant in Butler.

Butler notables:

• Diamond Jim Brady, the legendary financier, gourmand and gemophile, got his start in 1902 when he established the Standard Steel Car Company, which merged with the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1934 to create Pullman Standard, a monopoly that was eventually broken by the government. The site is now occupied by a strip mall.
• Stewart O'Nan's prize winning novel Snow Angels is set in Butler.
• Josie Carey, the host of "The Children's Corner" on WQED in Pittsburgh, was one of the first employees of the station, which was the first community-sponsored public TV station. Fred Rogers was a puppeteer and musician on her show for seven years before creating Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Ms. Carey was born and raised in Butler.
• Former US Senator Rick Santorum spent his formative years in Butler.
• World record setting swimmer and Armco CEO Harry Holiday was born and raised in Butler.
• Wrestler Big John Studd was born and raised in Butler.
• Jazz trombonist and arranger Jim Pugh was born and raised in Butler.
• French horn player William Purvis was born and raised in Butler.
• Actor Fred McCarren (1951-2006) was born and raised in Butler.
• Tony award winning actress Michele Pawk was born and raised in Butler.
• Bret Michaels, the lead singer of Poison, was born in Butler and raised in nearby Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
• William J. Perry, former Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton (1994-97), born in Vandergrift, PA graduated from Butler High School in 1945.
• Terry Hanratty, an All-American quarterback from Notre Dame who won the National Championship in 1966 and went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1970s as a back-up, was born in Butler, PA in 1948.
• The Saul brothers, a trio of professional football players during the 60's and 70's, were born and raised in Butler - Bill played linebacker for the Colts, Steelers, Saints and Lions; Richard played for the Los Angeles Rams; and Ronald played for the Washington Redskins.
• Paul Posluzny, Buffalo Bills linebacker and All American Penn State University linebacker was born in Butler.
• Barbara Feldon, actress who played Agent 99 on the television series Get Smart was born in Butler.
• Home and birthplace of heavyweight boxer Brian Minto.
• Birthplace of San Diego Padres shortstop Khalil Greene.
• Hometown of Saint Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Clement.
• Hometown of Judge William G. Bassler, formerly of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
• Bataan Death March Survivor Sgt. Abie Abraham was born in Lyndora (which is a CDP of Butler Township). He now resides in Renfrew, Pennsylvania.
• Hometown of Eric Namesnik, Olympic swimmer.
• Bill Hohn a major league baseball umpire was born in Butler.
• David Pichler U.S. Olympic Diver

Areas of Interest:

• Butler County Courthouse is a government and judicial building located in the heart of the city. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Maridon Museum [1], located in downtown Butler, is the only museum in the Western Pennsylvania region with a specific focus on Chinese and Japanese art and culture.
• Pullman Park was used for minor league baseball for twenty years until the Pittsburgh Pirates farm team left in 1951. The ballpark saw many famous faces during its professional baseball days, including Lou Gehrig, Whitey Ford, and Joe DiMaggio who played for a farm team of the New York Yankees. Pullman Park will be re-opening soon as a beautiful new state of the art facility.
• Sen. Walter Lowrie House was the home of United States Senator Walter Lowrie. It is currently maintained as a museum, and is the headquarters of the Butler County Historical Society. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Culture

Though Butler is a small city, it does have a vast array of art and culture. Live performances such as musicals and plays are done at the historic Butler Little Theatre which has been running productions since 1941. The Butler Musical Theater Guild produces several musical comedy productions every year. Butler is also home to the Butler County Symphony Association which performs at the Butler Intermediate High School auditorium. There are also many cultural groups located in the city. They include the Associated Artists of Butler County and the Butler Arts Council. Post your news and events on our Butler & surrounding areas free news pages and events and festivities calendar...it's free!
Beautiful Butler, Pennsylvania.... where good news and fun living happen every day!

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