Borough marks founding, wire patent
SAXONBURG — The borough is celebrating two anniversaries tied to its storied history — the 185th anniversary of its founding and the 175th anniversary of co-founder John Roebling receiving a patent for inventing wire rope.
The celebration is being held this weekend.
“It's going to be a really exciting time for the town,” said Mayor Bill Gillespie.
The festivities start Saturday with a morning parade, which has a historical theme.
The parade starts at 10:30 a.m.
In the afternoon, a street party gets under way with German music groups and vendors.
Hotel Saxonburg owner Judy Ferree, chairman of Discover Saxonburg, which is helping organize the events, said the celebration is bringing everyone in the borough together.
“Everybody's pitching in,” Ferree said.
Josh Novotny, president of the Saxonburg Area Business Association, said the celebration will be a momentous occasion.
“It's a lot of history we get to celebrate at the same time,” Novotny said.
John Roebling was a German immigrant who founded Saxonburg in 1832 with his brother, Frederick Roebling, and designed the Brooklyn Bridge using the wire rope process he invented.
Fred Caesar, who is a Saxonburg Historical and Recreation Commission board member and president of the Friends of Saxonburg Museum, realized last year that 2017 would be a time to commemorate the borough's history.
“I did the math and found that 2017 is a year for significant anniversaries in regard to the Roebling legacy and Saxonburg,” Caesar said.
He said the borough's founding and the invention of wire rope should be recognized.
“(It's) certainly something to be proud of and that we should blow our horn about,” Caesar said.
The Saxonburg Museum will be open Saturday afternoon for those wishing to peruse artifacts and replicas commemorating pivotal times in Saxonburg's history.
Rick Markovich, commission chairman, agreed the weekend will be memorable.
“We're thrilled to death to have this celebration,” Markovich said.
A 5 p.m. reception and 6 p.m. dinner will be held in Cooper Hall. Clifford Zink, a Roebling historian, will be the keynote speaker.
Earlier in the afternoon, Zink will be at the South Butler Community Library signing his book, “The Roebling Legacy.”
Kristian Roebling, the great-great-great-grandson of John Roebling, will attend the events over the weekend.
A delegation from sister city Muhlhausen, Germany, also will attend. Muhlhausen was the birthplace of John Roebling.
A special church service will be held at 8 a.m. Sunday morning at the former Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church at the intersection of Main and Rebecca streets.
