Brooklyn Bridge replica returns to its roots as a parade float
SAXONBURG — More than two decades ago, the Saxony Shrine Club built a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge for the Butler County Bicentennial Parade. On Friday night, July 3, that same replica returned as a parade float in the parade in Saxonburg to recognize the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The bridge fit the theme of the parade, which highlighted history. The parade began with a group of historical reenactors from different eras. Following the leaders was a line of vehicles from over the years, including a Model T, a World War II-era Jeep and a modern Humvee.
As the parade continued, more historical tributes showed up. Horse-drawn buggies, antique cars, and even old tractors rolled down the borough’s Main Street.
Still, the Brooklyn Bridge replica stood out among all the other floats because of its sheer size, its patriotic decorations and its meaning to Saxonburg.
Brooke Wamsley, the organizer of Save the Bridge, said returning the bridge to its roots was special because it was a way for her to pay tribute to her grandfather, who helped build the original float.
“We’re really, really grateful to do this in his memory and all of his friends’ memory.”
The bridge replica’s story begins in 2000, when it debuted in the Butler County Bicentennial Parade as a tribute to John A. Robeling. Robeling, one of the first settlers of Saxonburg, refined wire rope in his shop. His work in Saxonburg laid the foundation for his later projects, including the Brooklyn Bridge.
After the parade, the Saxony Shrine Club later donated the bridge to the Saxonburg community.
The bridge found a permanent home in Robeling Park and was attached to the shop where John Robeling first worked on wire rope. During its installation, much of the temporary material from the parade float was replaced with more permanent materials, such as concrete and stone, according to an Eagle article from the time.
Rededicated in 2001, the bridge stood in Robeling Park for the next 24 years. As time went on, the workshop the bridge was attached to began to need major structural repairs.
In 2025, Saxonburg received the funds it needed to repair and restore the wire rope shop. As a part of the renovations, the bridge had to be moved to allow for heavy equipment and comply with safety codes and National Register of Historic Places regulations.
With the bridge under threat, Wamsley stepped up because of how special it was to her.
“I couldn’t let anything happen to it,” Wamsley said. “My grandparents are gone, and I am just a very sentimental kind of person.”
With the township unable to provide funding, Wamsley is working on raising funds herself. Soon, partners, including Buffalo Township-based CID Associates and Chicora-based Hiles Excavating stepped in to help.
In April 2026, the bridge was removed from its original location and placed on a trailer. It has been stored at CID Associates’ facility in Sarver since then.
With the bridge already on a trailer, Wamsley decided to turn the bridge into a parade float and use it in Saxonburg’s America 250 parade.
Wamsley said the return to its roots would not be possible without Scott Docherty, the owner of CID Associates and organizer of the America250 parade. She said Docherty’s contribution to Save the Bridge was just another way of giving back to his community.
“He (Docherty)’s really dedicated to building back a better Butler,” Wamsley said. “This is just one of the small things that he’s doing to assist in making Butler great again.”
Wamsley thanked a variety of community members before the parade.
“I’m really grateful for my family and the community and everyone coming together,” she said.
Although the bridge returned to storage after the parade, the plan to reinstall it in Robeling Park is underway.
Construction on the bridge’s new site near the Saxonburg Museum began in May, according to the Save the Bridge — Roebling Park Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the group is still accepting donations and hopes to finish the bridge this fall, according to Wamsley.
