Saxonburg has seen slow but sure growth
At first glance, the blue-collar town of Saxonburg may not look like anything out of the ordinary, but the history of the 200-year-old borough proves unusual and bizarre events can happen where you least expect them.
A surprising fact in the town’s history that many may not know about is that Saxonburg was originally sprung as an immigrant town. Founded in 1832 by brothers John Augustus and Fredrick Charles Roebling, the German emigrants bought 1,600 acres of rural farmland at just $1.50 an acre. From that point on, the tiny town slowly but surely started to grow.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has never had more than 1,426 residents. In fact, the German-founded village didn’t even reach 1,000 residents until the 1970s, more than 100 years after the town was founded. Despite this small population, however, Saxonburg was at one time a hotspot for travelers, hosting as many as five hotels in the late 19th century.
Town native and former resident Katherine Gaylord recounted the story of a drunken horse in her 1970s article “The Human Side of Saxonburg.” The story tells how a group of men caused a horse to go on an alcohol-fueled kicking rampage sometime in the early 19th century. The frenzy saw the destruction of a hitching post just outside of the beloved Hotel Saxonburg on West Main Street. The identities of the men were never discovered, but the story is one of many Gaylord collected over the years and can be read in a book inside the archival section of the Saxonburg Public Library.
Although events like a drunken horse galloping through town happen once in a blue moon, other events can go completely unnoticed in a town as quiet as Saxonburg.
Most residents probably pass by the Coherent Corp technology company on Saxonburg Boulevard without knowing the property hosted a nuclear lab between 1939 and 1949. According to an article written by a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University about its physics department, Saxonburg was home to a $2 million research facility after World War II, which led to the town acquiring one of the only high-energy particle accelerators in the world at the time.
A high-energy particle accelerator is a massive machine that speeds up electrons and protons to produce extremely high energies. High-energy accelerators have aided in scientific research, medical diagnoses and even the production of computer chips.
“They weren’t allowed to fly it in,” said Saxonburg historian and resident Fred Caesar. “It had to be specially delivered to avoid highways due to legal transportation issues. Most people in town don’t know things like that.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, official cleanup at the site took place between 1974 and 1975. Outside of that, very little is known about the details surrounding the location and its Cold War-era function.
Although the town certainly has become more modern in the way of business and housing, The Hotel Saxonburg consistently has served the public for nearly two centuries. The hotel and bar have been open and running since the town was founded in 1832, and the building has been certified as a historical landmark.
The hotel, previously known as The Central Hotel and The Laube House, has been a consistent venue for the public for accomodation and dining for decades, and has been the location of numerous large events in the town’s history. No event in the town’s history, however, can eclipse the day Mister Rogers made Saxonburg his neighborhood.
Fred Rogers, host of Pittsburgh’s beloved “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” became a frequent guest of the Hotel Saxonburg during the peak of his show’s popularity in the 1980s. As told by Judy Ferree, who was the longtime owner of the hotel before it was recently sold to a Sarver couple, Rogers made it a point to visit the town on a weekly basis for lunch.
“He just came to the hotel one day to eat,” said Ferree, a resident of Saxonburg for close to 40 years. “He and the previous owner of the hotel started to become friends, and so he started to come to Saxonburg more often.”
As unusual as it is for a television icon to stroll along the brick sidewalks of West Main, Rogers took it a step further by really making Saxonburg a part of the neighborhood. In 1982, Rogers released an episode that saw the children’s show host making a cheese sandwich in the kitchen of the Hotel Saxonburg.
Although the show ended close to 20 years ago, many of Saxonburg’s residents still reminisce about how Rogers made Saxonburg his home away from home, and some townsfolk have even made sure the younger generations learn about Rogers’ impact.
“Young kids still come by and talk about the Mister Rogers episode,” Ferree said. “They still ask questions about the episode and want to come back to see where Mister Rogers made a sandwich. It’s great.”
Saxonburg shows even the smallest of towns can be completely different than how they might appear at first glance.
As the town of Saxonburg continues to grow and evolve, the stories, fables and mysteries from the past still manage to stay alive in today’s world and continue to resonate with the next generation. With events like Octoberfest, a weekend-long celebration for Bavarian culture in Butler County, Saxonburg has managed to retain its spirit for the next generation. Even today, Saxonburg residents actively look to add to their history with more modern events like the Saxonburg Festival of the Arts every September.
Dustin Schlagel is a student journalist at Slippery Rock University.
