EVANS CITY — The cult classic film that introduced flesh-eating zombies to the horror genre will be connected in perpetuity to the borough where it was made.

The borough council Monday night voted to erect a historical marker at the public library to delineates that Evans City is the home of “Night of the Living Dead.”

Council President Lee Dyer said the high-end historical marker will be on a concrete pad along the Mars-Evans City Road beside the library, which also houses the town’s historical society and borough offices.

The George Romero film was shot in 1968 in and around Evans City, and retains a global following 47 years after it was first shown.

Dyer said the exact wording on the marker has not been finalized, but he hopes to have the marker in place by mid-September’s Living Dead Festival.

Hundreds of fans flock to the annual festivals organized by borough resident Gary Streiner, who was the sound engineer on the film. Followers of the film also visit the Evans City Cemetery year round to see where the movie’s creepy opening scene was filmed.

Streiner and other fans have tried for several years to have the borough’s connection to the film somehow recognized.

Lettering spelling out “Home of the Night of the Living Dead” was placed earlier this summer on the refurbished welcome signs along Route 68 at either end of the borough, but they were taken down after a few weeks.

Dyer said the lettering will return to the signs in some form, in addition to the historic marker. He said smaller tributes to other significant Evans City events could be added to the site of the historical marker.

The cost for the marker, Dyer said, is about $4,500. He said the Evans City Rotary Club will contribute to the project, and he hopes the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau will donate as well.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Dyer said of the marker. “This is something that the current council has promised for the past couple of years.”

Streiner, who worked with Dyer and Councilwoman Kim Armstrong on the project, is thrilled that the marker finally will be placed.

“I think it’s absolutely fantastic,” Streiner said. “It’ll give Evans City a little something to be proud of.”

Streiner said a contribution box will be included at the marker site so fans who pose for a picture there can help with the maintenance of the area.

He said the location at the library also will be a safer place for picture-taking fans than standing with the signs on Route 68.

“This, to me, is actually much better (than lettering on the Route 68 signs),” Streiner said.

Kevin Kriess, owner of the Living Dead Museum on Main Street, also is excited about the marker.

“Fans of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ have been visiting the filming locations around Evans City for decades, and now they will have a focal point in town to anchor their visits,” Kriess said. “Attracting visitors to the center of town to see the historical marker will be a great boost to the local businesses and restaurants.”

Both Dyer and Streiner also hope the monument will bring revenue to the historical society and businesses as fans visit.

Streiner said he is sure fans will love the marker.

“It’s going to be the next big thing for fans of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ for a while,” he said.