Welcome to Butler County, Pennsylvania

Friday, 03 September 2010 08:23

Please help to preserve a very important piece of history!

Preserving the Bantam Building is an Important Component of America's Industrial Past.

The Bantam building was built circa 1899-1900 by the Davis Lead Company, was later owned by the National Lead and Oil Company and then the Standard Steel Car Company, who sold the building to the American Bantam Car Company circa 1929. The building’s historical significance came in 1940 when freelance design engineer Karl Probst and the American Bantam Car Company designed the winning U.S. Army prototype for a new Second World War military vehicle. The American Bantam Car Factory was the birthplace of the first jeep, and was commissioned to produce nearly 3,000 jeeps to help with the war efforts.

bantam-factory-butler

The Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau and City of Butler are presently working with AK Steel (current building and property owner) to protect this 40,000-square-foot vacant building from further deterioration.

To save this piece of history is of vital importance for the City of Butler and for the Butler community as it reminds us of the wonderful ability to create something that defines the people who lived here. Several community groups including the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, the Butler County Historical Society, Butler Downtown, and the City of Butler would like to see this building preserved as a reminder of the great importance the jeep played in helping end the Second World War and becoming a brand that is still being used today. In 2011 the Butler County Tourism Bureau, along with several other community organizations, will be remembering and celebrating this invention with the first Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival which will bring jeep enthusiasts and the community together to teach them about this wonderful history.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a This Place Matters Community Challenge to help non-profit organizations across the country start a conversation about places that matter in our communities. Each organization that is participating are competing to register the most support for their places, with the winning group receiving a cash award of $25,000 to support their preservation efforts!

CLICK HERE to cast your vote and help preserve a very important piece of history!