Roebling family history important piece of Saxonburg Museum
SAXONBURG — Emily Roebling never set foot in Saxonburg in her lifetime, but her name lives on here because her father-in-law, John Roebling, invented wire rope right in the borough. Wire rope made the suspension of the Brooklyn Bridge possible.
And sometimes, Emily Roebling’s likeness makes an appearance whenever there is an event or function with a historical element.
Molly Nowakowski, vice president of the Friends of the Saxonburg Museum, began portraying Emily Roebling after moving back to her hometown from Florida 12 years ago as a way to convey the significance of her and the Roebling family. Although it was her father-in-law who created the wire rope, she was the first to cross the Brooklyn Bridge once it was erected. And she did it before women were able to vote in the U.S.
“Emily Roebling was such a strong role model for girls, to do what she did in a time where we could not vote,” Nowakowski said. “And she dealt with men.”
Nowakowski has been involved with the Saxonburg Museum for years, where much of the Roebling family’s legacy is documented. From samples of the wire rope to a family tree that shows the lineage that stemmed from John Roebling, the Saxonburg Museum is a hub for all things Roebling.
With the replica of the Brooklyn Bridge gone from Roebling Park — at least for now — Nowakowski said the museum and her appearances as Emily Roebling are important reminders of Saxonburg’s claim to fame.
“The Roebling name and the history of the Roeblings, the community needs to know, the state needs to know and the country needs to know,” Nowakowski said, “because this is the birthplace of invention.”
On Wednesday, April 15, Saxonburg Museum and borough officials welcomed the Butler County Commissioners and other guests to Roebling Park to show them what the museum and the bridge replica, which was still standing at the time, offer. The bridge had been stripped of the bricks that held up some of its foundation and was scheduled to be lifted out of the park Friday morning.
People from Friends of the Saxonburg Museum and the Save the Bridge – Roebling Park fundraising group attended, where Nowakowski handed one of the bridge replica’s bricks to Carrie Irvine, president of the Friends of the Saxonburg Museum.
The Roebling Workshop, where John Roebling invented wire rope, has to have its foundation fixed, and the Brooklyn Bridge replica had to be moved for work to commence.
Irvine said the Friends of the Saxonburg Museum are working on “a new vision for the park” that includes the moving of the Brooklyn Bridge replica.
Keith Wilbert, a curator of the Saxonburg Museum, said Fred Caesar had done a lot of the research to compile the information about the Roebling family and display it in the museum.
Wilbert said Donald Roebling, John Roebling’s great-grandson, invented the “alligator,” an amphibious vehicle that could transport soldiers across water for operations. It was used for operations during World War II.
Washington Roebling II, John Roebling’s grandson, was a race car driver who would meet his end aboard the Titanic. But before his death on the ship’s doomed maiden voyage, Roebling II helped others who would have died if not for his intervention, Nowakowski said.
“They talked to women that said, ‘Washington helped us, he told us to say to the family what he did,’” she said. “He knew he was going to die … They said he was just so kind and so strong with helping the women.”
Saxonburg’s connection to the Brooklyn Bridge has led Nowakowski to describe New York City as a “sister city” to Saxonburg. Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge is a plaza dedicated to Emily Roebling — Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Nowakowski said that once the bridge replica is relocated to a grassy field in Roebling Park next to the Saxonburg Museum, the staff plans to plant bulbs from the New York City garden to start a similar garden here. This creates “a permanent bond with our sister city, so the bridge will be united,” Nowakowski said.
“We want the museum to not be behind glass, we want everyone to be able to touch it, feel it, experience it,” Nowakowski said. “We truly want to inspire the kids to leave a legacy. We need the kids to be here to appreciate it and carry on the legacy.”
Nowakowski has been interested in the history of her home region since she was in junior high school. She said she read the notes that her seventh-grade history teacher, Ralph Goldinger, wrote while he was writing a book on the history of Saxonburg, which is when Nowakowski first learned of the Roeblings.
Nowakowski said she was always struck with how all of the Roeblings, Emily included, pushed for initiatives to be completed, instead of just being socialites who rode on John Roebling’s inventions.
“They solved problems, that’s what they did,” Nowakowski said of the Roebling family. “That’s my passion.”
Nowakowski can regularly be seen in her Emily Roebling outfit at Saxonburg functions. The ensemble normally features an orange and black dress with a bust in back, a black wig with curled bangs and black gloves, all of which were in style at the time Emily was alive.
She credits Scott Docherty, of CID Buildings, with getting her into the historical reenacting game, but credits Goldinger and Emily Roebling with inspiring her to pursue an interest in history.
“I moved home 12 years ago and Scott Docherty asked me to start portraying Emily Roebling because he knew the love I had for Saxonburg,” Nowakowski said. “We started researching and said, ‘Wow, we need to put them in the forefront and let the world know about the Roebling family.’”
For more information about the Saxonburg Museum or Roebling Park, visit saxonburgpa.com.
