Whether it has been the development of infrastructure that allows us to be in downtown Pittsburgh in under an hour, the rich history we have in automobile manufacturing, or our connection to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, transportation has always been key to Butler County's overall development.

The County is blessed with diverse infrastructure. From Route 279 into Pittsburgh to Interstate 80 in the county's northern corner, roadways have long been Butler County’s link to success. The Good Roads Committee of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce was instrumental in the development and continued improvement of many areas of roadways through the early years of the 20th century. In addition to the many miles of state and local roads, Butler County is home to two airports. Even Amelia Earhardt could attest to Butler's great transportation . . . she stopped at the Butler County Airport to re-fuel not long before her fateful journey.

While the county remains primarily rural in many areas, Butler City and Butler Township developed a unique partnership in the late 1980s, forming a local bus system to provide public transportation for residents and seniors. Short trips to shopping areas, apartment complexes, and medical appointments are all possible thanks to the Butler City Township Joint Municipal Authority. Other services such as local taxis and programs offered by county government, augment public transportation as well.

Clearly, the transportation patterns of a growing southwestern portion of the county have been the most notable in the last several decades. Primed for continuing growth, more infrastructure development will be made in the area throughout the new millennium. The five-lane intersection in the heart of today's Cranberry was once known as Crider's Corners. Largely an agricultural area, only a gas station, a general store, a feed store and a voting place were located there at one time! Quite a change from today with the Cranberry area being marked as one of the fastest growing areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Today, Texas is synonymous with oil, but the title belonged to Butler County in the late 1800s! By 1895, over 700 wells had produced boomtowns like Petrolia, Karns City and Renfrew. Producing over 14,000 barrels of oil a day, Butler County was supplying 75% of Pennsylvania’s oil supply and attracting many people to the county. The craze was all thanks to "Uncle Billy" Smith, a native of Buffalo Township and a blacksmith by trade, who drilled the world’s first oil producing well in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

It is hard to imagine that the county was home to the production of no less than five vehicles. When the Standard-Eight, known as "The Monarch of the Mountains," hit the streets in 1916, hopes were high. Unfortunately, sales fell and by 1921, production of the automobile ceased. It was only eight years later when Sir Herbert Austin of Birmingham, England, selected Butler for his Austin manufacturing plant. The Great Depression forced the end of production, but the small car's demise helped in the formation of the American Bantam Car Company.

Another important facet to transportation is railroads. Four systems-Bessemer & Lake Erie, Buffalo & Pittsburgh, Conrail and CSX-currently operate in the county and allow companies like A-K Steel and Trinity Industries to move their manufactured goods to a variety of locations throughout the United States. Founded in 1906, the Pittsburgh, Harmony and New Castle Railway Company, otherwise known as the Harmony Shortline, provided transportation for county residents.

Likewise, the railcar holds significant prominence for the county, which was home to the Standard Steel Car Company (later Pullman Standard). The plant initially employed 2,500 men and produced 60 cars per day. The company heavily recruited workers from Russia, Croatia, Serbia, Poland and Romania. The town of Lyndora (named after the daughter of Standard Steel President John Hansen) remains a testament to the immigrants who came to the United States during this time period.

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