Butler is a city in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. It had its glory days in the 20th century as an industrial town making railroad cars, and it celebrates its role in the creation of the Jeep. Today, it has fallen on hard times, but it is home to several National Historic Sites, and may be of interest to those who want to explore America's industrial history.
Butler is the county seat of Butler County. In 2010, the city population was 14,000. Butler was named the 7th best small town in America by Smithsonian magazine in May 2012.
Butler was named for Maj. Gen. Richard Butler, who died at the Battle of the Wabash, in western Ohio in 1791.
In 1803 John and Samuel Cunningham became the first settlers in the village of Butler. The first settlers were of Irish or Scottish descent and were driving westward from Connecticut. In 1802, German immigrants began arriving, with Detmar Basse settling in Jackson Township in 1802 and founding Zelienople the following year. After George Rapp arrived in 1805 and founded Harmony, more settlers followed. John A. Roebling settled Saxonburg in 1832, by which time most of the county was filled with German settlers.
In its heyday, the city of Butler was a "Steel Belt" manufacturing and industrial area. It remains home to an AK Steel factory. In 1902, the Standard Steel Car Company opened one of its largest railcar manufacturing facilities in Butler. About 2,500 workers produced 60 steel-bed railroad cars per day in 1902. Eastern European immigrants were lured to the area in the early 20th century with the promise of reliable jobs, which offered company housing and a company store. The company constructed a baseball park which was the home of a New York Yankees farm team. The steel workers of Butler made artillery and naval shells during World War II. The Pullman-Standard plant closed in 1982, and was demolished in 2005.
The American Austin Car Company/American Bantam Car Company was headquartered in the area. Bantam was an early producer of small fuel-efficient vehicles through the 1930s. In 1940, Bantam created the iconic World War II Jeep. A monument stands near the courthouse commemorating Bantam's "creation of the Jeep".
Like most of the region, by the end of the 1970s, the local economy changed dramatically. Manufacturing virtually ended and good-paying jobs became scarce. The city now accepts state and government money to sustain itself.
It is 35 miles (56 km) north of Pittsburgh.
Five major highways run through or near the city, providing links to other areas throughout Western Pennsylvania. The south terminus of Pennsylvania Route 38 is just north of the city at U.S. Route 422. Route 422 skirts the city, to the north, on the Butler Bypass. PA 68 and PA 356 go straight through downtown, where they intersect with PA 8 (Butler's Main Street).
Butler is served by The Bus, run by the Butler Transit Authority.
East Side Taxi Co, +1 724 282-8294
Ridgecrest Taxi, 502 W. Jefferson St, +1 760 793-7374
Other sites listed in the National Register of Historical Places:
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division