Mars went into orbit in 1882
When James Glover built a log cabin in the woods of present-day Adams Township in 1792, little did he know that a modern town with old-fashioned ways would spring up nearby and flourish into the 21st century.
The borough of Mars was incorporated in 1882, but the .5 square-mile town's origins rest on the back of two men, Matthew Parks and Thomas Kennedy.
John Watson, longtime president of the Mars Area Historical and Landmark Society, said Parks built a grist mill in 1825 along Breakneck Creek near the intersection of the current Valencia Road and Route 228, just south of the borough's current borders.
Kennedy added another mill in 1828 just east of Cherry Street, also along Breakneck Creek.
Realizing many farmers in the region traveled to get their grain milled into feed at the two mills, a man named Frank Johnston bought a tract from Kennedy and erected the first business in the town, a general store.Watson said others soon began building businesses in the area. Those men brought names like Irvine, Crisswell and Marshall to the burgeoning hamlet, which originally was named Overbrook.In 1873, a man named Samuel Parks built the new town's first home, which was just north of the current location of Mars Lanes.Parks went on to establish the Overbrook Post Office at his home, and earned $12 a year as Mars' first postmaster.His son, Albert, drove the mail to and from Wexford in a stagecoach, for which the lad was paid $8 per year.Residents rode their horses to the post office once per week to retrieve their mail. Parks moved the post office to Johnston's general store.While many grist mills popped up along Breakneck Creek on the edge of town, one of the first businesses in the borough was a distillery.“That's a bit of irony, considering the borough was dry up until two years ago,” Watson said.The unusual name of the creek, Watson said, came when a horse and rider went down while trying to ford the waterway.“Either the man or his horse broke their neck, and that's how the creek got its name,” Watson said.
The discovery of oil and coal created a boon for the region in the mid 1800s, which in turn brought the creation of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.In 1877, Watson said, work began to lay miles of tracks, including a set through Overbrook.“They'd probably throw the oil barrels on,” he said.Because another town named Overbrook existed at that time, the train conductors that put Albert Parks out of a job became confused as to what mail should be unloaded in which town.The name “Overbrook” was then changed to “Mars.”Regarding the borough's unusual name, Watson said no one will ever know which of two theories is correct.One proffers that Samuel Parks' wife was a follower of astronomy and suggested “Mars.”Another is that the name of Samuel Marshall, one of the town's founders, was shortened to create the moniker.Records show that in 1877, the town recorded about 50 residents. By 1894, the citizenry grew to 350 people, Watson said.Of the 72 property owners that year, 57 were passionate enough about their little town to band together and petition the Butler County courts to incorporate the borough of Mars.“That petition was granted on March 6, 1895,” Watson said.The first election occurred on April 9, 1895, when Samuel Kennedy was elected burgess, which was a sort of town manager at that time.Other initial officials included Samuel Crow, council president; Arba Jordan, borough secretary; R.H. McElheny, constable; and Joseph Borland, street commissioner.
Mars National Bank was established in the borough in 1900 and boasted assets of $84,862.Now known as Mars National Bank, the organization boasts several locations. The Mars Bank headquarters remains inside the borough, at the intersection of Grand and Marshall avenues.A trolley system that carried residents south to Pittsburgh or north to Evans City and Butler was added in 1904. It closed in 1931.The little borough continued its expansion in the 20th century, as records show that L.J. Tracy was hired in 1908 to complete a survey of Mars that would include establishing official street lines and necessary sewer grades.Tracy earned $400 for his work, Watson said.The Mars Volunteer Fire Department, which has since merged with Adams Township Volunteer Fire Department, bought its first two-wheeled horse cart in 1905.
In 1910, Mars became the first borough in the county to approve an ordinance for a public sewer system. It was completed in 1911 at a cost of $15,800.That year also marked the first paved street in the borough, when Pittsburgh Street was lined with bricks.The paved street made residents realize the poor condition of the remaining dirt streets, and they harangued borough council to continue bricking the muddy thoroughfares.Another innovation came when a group of citizens organized the Mars Light Company in 1912, which was many years before most county businesses and homes boasted electric lights.Mars Light Company's initial goal was to place streetlights on every corner in the borough, which it achieved.The company later was sold to the Pittsburgh Power Company.Watson, who has been president of the historical society for 22 years, loves to recount the legacy of the borough.“It's how prominent the town of Mars is,” Watson said. “It's a small town but an important part of Butler County.”He said in decades past, Cranberry and Adams townships were extremely rural, meaning residents came to Mars to do their shopping and conduct other business.
Watson admires the settlers' commitment to their new home.“It's pretty impressive how they kept bringing people in and adding businesses,” he said. “They had the foresight to see the potential of what the town could become.”Watson invited all county residents to visit the Mars Train Station museum between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Friday.The museum boasts many relics from Mars' history and offers a windmill, rides on a miniature train, and a communications room where visitors can try out old telephones, typewriters and telegraph machines.Visitors also can walk through a train caboose or view the museum's many miniature and diorama displays.Watson said the historical society also rents out a pavilion and the miniature train for parties and events.Admission to the museum is free, but donations are requested, Watson said.He said 80% of the museum's visitors are children, and he and his many volunteers are always happy to share the borough's rich history with them.“We bring a lot of smiles and we make a lot of memories for everyone,” Watson said.The museum is at 1 Brickyard Road in Mars.
