BUTLER COUNTY, AN AMERICAN STORY: The County's story in many ways is typically American. European immigrants soon supplanted Native Americans, and the same waves of settlers that populated the eastern seaboard found their way here, especially those from Ireland and Germany. Eventually, African-Americans from the South found their way through the region, and some stayed on. Asians began to find their way in more recent years, adding to the "stew" of life. Over time, the County produced its share of notable people, events and stories, making the book interesting to those with a local connection as well as lovers of American history. BUTLER COUNTY, HOME OF: The Jeep, the first American compact car (the Baby Austin), the Huselton, the Standard, and the Bantam. The Taylorcraft Airplane and the first lit runway in the U.S. 75% of the oil drilled in the world during the mid-1800s. The Pullman railroad car. The first (and perhaps only!) all steel dress. PLUS THE FAMOUS .... AND THE INFAMOUS: General Richard Butler, Revolutionary War Hero and county namesake. John Roebling, the engineering genius behind New York City's Brooklyn Bridge. The Rev. Loyal Young, who hid runaway slaves in the crawl space of his church. "Lanny" Pride, horticultural genius. Standard Steel co-founder "Diamond" Jim Brady. Sam Mohawk, murderer and recipient of quick justice. Simon Girty, Indian agent and misunderstood Revolutionary War Scout. A host of other leaders, heros, and outlaws, . . . . And even Agent 99, international super-spy. Included in the book are 240 photos and images, many of which were contributed by residents that often illustrate less known aspects of American history - an all-female railroad construction crew in the 19th century being just one example. QUOTES FROM THE BOOK: Butler County might not be a place of rip-roaring adventure today, but back in wilderness times circa 1770 and after, it was the scene of several movie-type thrillers. While Butler residents had unique ideas for car designs, including the original Jeep, there never was a Henry Ford or the facilities here to produce the millions of cars the American public has demanded over the years. Residents, however, did have ingenuity and the willingness to try on their side, and by the end of the 1950s, Butler County had produced five different car lines that have added to this country's love affair with the motor vehicle. Petrolia, built around the site of the 'Fanny Jane,' (oil well) quickly swallowed up the village of Argyle and launched itself as one of the most open and lawless towns of the oil country. Within its boundaries the criminal element that infested every oil town flourished under the leadership of such notorious characters as Ben Hogan. ...a conventional evening dinner for ('Diamond' Jim) Brady started off with a gallon of orange juice just to whet his appetite. This was followed by six dozen oysters, a large cut of mutton smothered with a half-dozen venison chops, a roasting chicken with caper sauce, a brace or so of mallard or canvasback ducks, partridge or pheasant, and a 12-egg soufflé topped off with a five-pound box of the richest chocolates. Reputable sources witnessed Jim's eating 45 ears of corn at a single sitting.

Celebrating 200 Years: The Butler County, Pennsylvania Bicentennial

History

Americas

Local History Co.

"There is another America awaiting the traveler, if he or she takes the time to experience it. The traveler must abandon the Interstates and journey along the older U.S. and state routes that traverse what was once called 'the countryside' . . . . Gordon asks us to rediscover this other America." From the foreword by Edward K. Muller, Professor of History, Director of Urban Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 
Discover . . . 
• William Penn's legacy of religious tolerance and the people who found their way here to enjoy it. 
• The story of Jewish immigrant and land developer Aaron Levy, who's ecumenical gift of a communion set to the local Protestant churches led to an international celebration over 150 years later that attracted 30,000 visitors to Aaronsburg. 
• Why chemist/minister Joseph Priestley escaped to Pennsylvania ahead of an English mob. 
• Why a lop of the guillotine kept Marie Antoinette from becoming a Pennsylvanian. 
• The legacy of "steel farms". 
• Potters and squatters, poets and thieves. 
• A contemporary local who dowses for graves. 
• Young urban emigrants seeking a gentler place to live and raise a family. 
It often takes an outsider to see the value of a place. Just as early settlers knew a good thing when they saw it, Joan Morse Gordon recognizes the innate beauty of the area and the strength of its history and people. She invites the reader on a journey worth taking for anyone interested in history, Pennsylvania, or just a good tale, covering a time span from the region's geological formation to today. 
In addition to conveying a marvelous sense of place, there are historical illustrations and contemporary photos gathered from public and private archives to give the reader a visual link between past and present along Route 45, also known as PA's Purple Heart Highway. 
From the book: 
• This road of mine, I was pleased to note, was no thruway. This was a byway, a road less traveled, less transient, with a greater sense of permanence, of roots. 
• Direction signs at crossroads indicated springs, forges, mills and caves nearby, all echoes of the past. More important was what wasn't there: billboards, graffiti, used car lots, and even worse, auto graveyards and adult movie shacks, typical despoilers of the landscape of so many highways today. 
• Nailed to the siding on the northwest corner of Stover's Village Store, in Aaronsburg, PA, is a small corroded bronzecolored plaque with the words "Geographic Center of Pennsylvania," half hidden by a large PEPSI cooler standing alongside its COCA COLA cousin. No one quite remembers when the sign was put there, but it was quite some time ago. 
• The surnames one comes across most frequently are Beachy, Peachy, Zook, Beiler, Hostetler, Stolzfus and Yoder. Geographer Peirce Lewis describes the newly arrived Amish as "hermit crabs," converting an old farm or a California ranch house to their own needs. 
• It is the Palatine Germans and Swiss who have had the biggest impact on Route 45 and whose descendants have prevailed....Unlike second or third generation offspring of immigrants who cluster in heavily ethnic neighborhoods in cities, with churches onion-domed or medieval, who celebrate in a stopped time ritual with food and dance and song the traditions of their forebears, the citizens along Route 45 tend to think of themselves as village or township or county residents; Pennsylvanians or American first. 
• In 1737, long after his father's departure, William Penn's son, Thomas, used the same walking measure contorted by deceit to trick the Lenape out of their rightful land. In what was called the "Walking Purchase," the Lenape lost 1,200 square miles. Lenape Lappawinsoe protested, "The walkers should have walkt for a few miles and then sat down and smoakt a Pipe . . . and not kept upon the Run, Run,

The Road Taken: A Journey in Time Down Pennsylvania Route 45

Joan Morse Gordon

The most comprehensive guide to the rail-trail on the market. Divided into 22 chapters with maps, photos, illustrations, and descriptions for each five mile section of the over 100 mile long trail that will link Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD and eventually to Washington D.C. Hikers, bikers, rail buffs, armchair travelers and lovers of Pennsylvania history will find this the only book they need about the Great Allegheny Passage!

The Great Allegheny Passage Companion: Guide to History & Heritage Along the Trail

Metzger, William

In 1859, First Lieutenant Jeff Shirley of the United States Army is sent to investigate a series of mysterious events in the area of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

Tyrconnel: An Antebellum Adventure Along the C&O Canal

Furtney, Charles S.

Children's Books

An uncommon book about an uncommon man. A fictional biography of 20th Century America's leading folk artist. 
The author has written the first and only biography of Peter Hunt, mid-20th century America's most famous and prolific folk artist. Hunt was a colorful, larger than life character who rose from immigrant poverty in Jersey City where he began life as Freddy Schnizter, later evolving into Peter "Lord Templeton" Hunt. As he re-invented himself, he moved into the wealthiest social circles, where he reigned like a bauble on a charm bracelet until the 1950s when his fame began to fade. Using Cape Cod as his base for over 40 years, Hunt became a local fixture and national media darling before dying alone and almost forgotten in 1967. His art, however, is enjoying renewed popularity and commanding prices he could only have imagined, thanks in large measure to the spotlight the author has shone upon him.

The Search for Peter Hunt

Van Dine, Lynn

Literature & Fiction

2006 IPPY Awards for independent publishers selected this book as one the top three in Architecture. The story of working with the legendary architect to build Kentuck Knob and life in this idyllic location. 
An unusually complete chronicle of the planning, construction, and development of the house and site, plus the experience of living in a Wright masterpiece and mecca for Wright aficionados. Includes stories, 150 b&amp;w photos, a color photo section, plans, original correspondence, and more.

Kentuck Knob: Frank Lloyd Wright's House for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan

Hagan, Bernardine

Arts & Photography

Mendelson's stories show us the heart of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods-Its People. 
2nd edition, revised and enlarged. "A place in time" captures Pittsburgh as snapshots in time. Readers familiar with the city will find themselves making comparisons of how much--and in some cases, how little--things have changed over the years. Much in the city abides, yet much does not. Other readers will simply be charmed. 
Pittsburghers are a nostalgic bunch, and will enjoy this fond yet clear-eyed view of their city. For non-Pittsburghers or those new to the region, it provides a window into a city of neighborhoods and colorful individuals who defy and confirm stereotypes simultaneously.

Pittsburgh: A Place in Time

Mendelson, Abby

World

When school is canceled in Pittsburgh because of the impending flood in 1936, Billy is elated until he witnesses the destruction caused by the rising waters of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. Includes historical photographs, facts, and trivia aboutthe flood.

The Great Saint Patrick's Day Flood

Flaherty, Mildred S.

THE ONLY BIOGRAPHY OF MID-20TH CENTURY AMERICA'S LEADING HANDICRAFTS ADVOCATE. 
Eaton was a prominent member of the Oregon legislature around the time of World War I and later a nationally recognized proponent of handicrafts while living in New York and working for the Russell Sage Foundation. A sociologist by training, he was the first to point out the link between beauty and life, and to advocate the importance of handicrafts by immigrants, residents of the Southern Highlands and New England, the blind, and even prisoners in Japanese-American detention camps. A quiet and modest man, Eaton was a friend of everyone from the humblest quilter in the backwoods of Tennessee to Grandma Moses and Eleanor Roosevelt. 
This is an important book for anyone interested in the rise of handicrafts in America, and also anyone who needs to be reminded of the devastating impact political shenanigans and wartime politics can have on an individual. 
Janet L. McCall, Executive Director, Society for Contemporary Craft, describes Van Dommelen’s work as having ". . . contributed a fascinating chapter in the history of American craft with this biography of a gentle visionary who believed in the power of art to change lives, and devoted his life to pursuing social justice through 'handicraft'. Eaton's vision is still very relevant today."

Allen H. Eaton, Dean of American Crafts

Van Dommelen, David B.

Samuel Hazo has written Pittsburgh's memoir and he shows us the city's soul. 4th edition, revised and enlarged, with art by Robert Qualters. Hazo's eloquent essays capture the spirit, even the soul, of Pittsburgh. Hazo's work is accompanied by the artwork of Robert Qualters (much of which did not appear in previous editions).

The Pittsburgh That Stays Within You

Biographies & Memoirs

Hazo, Samuel John

Regional U.S.

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