THE GEOCACHE
This is one of 20 historical caches along the Butler Freeport Community Trail, formerly the Butler Branch of the Western Pennsylvania Railroad. You will be looking for one of our Butler Freeport Historic Geotrail (BFTHGT) Ammo Cans.
THE GEOCOIN
Inside each BFTHGT cache container is a QR CODE and trackable number. Scanning the code will open a trackable page. Visitors discovering AT LEAST 15 of the 20 trackables are eligible to claim a BFTHGT commemorative trackable geocoin. To get your coin, visit:
http://www.butlerfreeporttrail.org/on-the-butler-freeport-community-trail/geocaching/
As far back as 1836, steps were taken which were the harbingers of the Butler Branch Railroad. In that year, the State authority surveyed a route for a railroad from Freeport via Butler to New Castle. Its purpose was to make a short cut between the Pennsylvania and Erie Canals. The surveyor Charles T. Whippos and assistant William Purviance made a report to the State authorities, to no avail. The project came to be regarded as a mockery and humbug. However, that survey was the foundation of the first railroad in Butler County. In 1852 Governor Tod of Ohio and Mr. Perkins, President of the Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad, visited Harrisburg. The purpose of the visit was to ask for legislation that would lead to a connection with the Pennsylvania Central RR at Pittsburgh. Their trip was also to no avail, and they returned discouraged.
Soon after, however, Thomas S. Fernon, a Senator from Philadelphia and a railroad man, suggested to William Haslett, then in the State Senate as the representative of Butler County. He suggested if Governor Tod would adopt that line with an extension connecting east of Pittsburgh at Blairsville Junction, he would be likely to get his desired end, which was also the relished hopes of the Butler County people.
Governor Tod was shown Mr. Whippos’ report and said that the route was what he and his associates wanted. As a result, during the 1853 legislative session, the Northwestern Railroad Company procured a charter for this railroad line. This organization, however, went into bankruptcy, and its property and franchises passed into the possession of the newly chartered Western Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which was controlled by the Central.
In 1864, Colonel Thomas A. Scott consulted with William Haslett and John H. Negley, members of the General Assembly from Butler County, about legislation to have a bill passed authorizing the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to abandon the canal from Freeport to Allegheny, which under the conditions of purchase, they were bound to keep in continual repair. Then it would authorize the Western Pennsylvania Company to extend their road on the canal bed to Allegheny, as well as grant various other franchises.
Haslett and Negley made it clear that Butler County residents had been so often disappointed that they were distrustful. The WOR had graded from Blairsville to Freeport with Butler County enterprise, money, credit, and influence, and the Butler citizens were paying a heavy railroad tax without have a foot of railroad in their county. They then proposed the following proviso, as an addition to Colonel Scott’s bill, which he accepted and incorporated, vis:
Proviso:
“That the right to use, and operate, the road, by said Western Pennsylvania Railroad, between Freeport and Allegheny City, shall not be enjoyed until contracts are entered into, with responsible parties, for the completion of a railroad, from Freeport to the town of Butler; And provided, that said contract shall be entered into within one year, and the road to be completed within five years.”
"Provided, that the additional franchises herein granted shall not be enjoyed or exercised until an extension of the road shall be made from Freeport to the town of Butler; the same to be placed under contract for construction, to responsible parties, within two years after the passage of this act.”
Mr. Glass of Allegheny moved to strike out the “proviso,” making the remark that “if the people of Butler wanted a railroad, they might build it themselves.” When the bill was called for consideration, a long and spirited discussion took place, with Mr. Negley in a leading role. Honorable Arthur G. Olmstead of Porter, Honorable William D. Brown of Warren, Honorable John W. Guernsey of Tioga, and Honorable Thomas J. Bingham of Allegheny helped the retention of the proviso, with a modification made at their suggestion, extending the time for completing the road from two to five years. The contest over the passage of the bill in the Senate was not so vibrant, it met with some opposition. Through the extreme efforts of Senator McCandless, the proviso passed the Senate, thus Butler County finally obtained a railroad.
By September 1869, twenty-one sections of the Butler Branch Railroad from Butler to Freeport were given to contractors. Shortly after, work began on the Freeport end, but not until the close of February 1870, did work begin at Butler. In October, construction trains were running as far as Delano or Wolf’s Stations. The railroad was completed by the Pennsylvania Company after many difficulties and delays by the opening of the year 1871, and formally delivered into the hands of the company by the engineer, Antes Snyder, upon the 1st of March.
It was opened to travel upon January 12, 1871. 300 invitations were sent out to people to engage in this excursion. The train left Butler at 7 a.m., traveling on the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad to Freeport, and then onto Pittsburgh. At the Union Station in Pittsburgh, an impressive meal was served, with the appropriate number of speeches made in response to toasts.
Honorable Ebenezer McJunkin responded to the toast, “Railways; the bonds of civilization,”
General John Purviance: “Old Butler awakened to new life, and made a citizen of the world,”
W. Stewart: “The Pennsylvania Central Railroad, the pride of our Commonwealth,” T. Marshal: “The old stage coach; it could not long survive Arthur McGill,"
Samuel Purviance: “The old Circuit Court (Butler, Clarion and Armstrong) The Court now travels by rail, but justice prefers the mud road,”
Eugene Ferreo: “The Butler Branch,” Lewis Mitchell: “Antes Snyder (the engineer), by this skill, he overcame the mountains of our county and organized successfully the excursion in hand and the dinner just discussed.”
In the afternoon, the excursionists were joined by a number of Pittsburghers, and returned to Butler. At the various stations along the way, people turned out en masse to greet them. At Saxon Station (Cabot), a cannon was fired in honor of the event. Butler had been filled with partying people the night before the first train ride and a great multitude welcomed the incoming train. Another sizeable spread was served. More speeches were made. Eugene Ferreo and Mayor Callow of Allegheny spoke on the Butler Branch. Charles McCandless, Esq., spoke in response to the toast. “The Engineers of the Pennsylvania Railroad.” Others who addressed the assemblage were John Thompson, Esq. of Pittsburgh and Colonel Thomas Bayne.
In the evening occurred the “funeral” of the old stagecoach which had been replaced by the iron horse. The stagecoach was draped in black and dragged by crepe decorated steeds up the hill to the cemetery. The poor old coach was not actually buried, although its days of usefulness were almost over. Nonetheless, a funeral service was performed. The wake consisted of fun-loving folks, some from Pittsburgh, and some from Butler, marching through the streets of Butler, blowing tin whistles and penny trumpets. Among them was the stagecoach proprietor D.S. Walker.A fundraiser for the poor was held by the selling of dishes, knives, forks, muslin, etc. used at the banquet and railroad supper as souvenirs. $622.98 was made with expenses being $520.01, leaving a little over $100.00 to be distributed among the poor by H.C. Heineman, the trustee appointed by the committee.
At last came the era of railroads came to an end, and a successful effort was made in Butler County to secure the advantages of the Iron Trail. Final price tag for acquisition of what is now the 21 mile corridor, was $400,000.