2 new rotary benches are love letters to Butler County’s past
Butler doubled its Inspiration Trail bench collection Friday, July 10, as it unveiled two new art installations in front of the Arc of Butler County and the Butler Family Heath Services buildings.
The benches are love letters to Butler County and the City of Butler.
The bench dedicated at 1 p.m. outside of the Arc of Butler honors the building’s history as the old post office, whereas the bench outside of Independence Health Family Services, honors the building’s history as the old National Guard Armory.
Seated at the intersection of Washington and Jefferson streets, the stamp bench looks like envelope, honoring the history of the building that was once Butler’s post office.
Now, the old post office holds the Arc of Butler County, a volunteer-based organization that champions the rights, dignity, and quality of life for people with disabilities.
The stamps wrapped over top of the outline of the bench each testify to some part of Butler County history, with one referencing the Butler cultural district, one honoring CID Buildings, two honoring the county’s two higher educational institutions, in addition to others.
“We had some different buildings,” Bowser said. “I came up with a drawing of the post office, and I had some different people from Slippery Rock color it for me, so we have the post office in numerous places.”
Over 10 stamps come from Arc artists, answering the prompt, “what inclusion means to me.”
The bench is a collaboration between roughly 25 local artists and was made possible by the dedication of local Rotary Environment and Artscape Committee members.
Slippery Rock University Fine Art student Katie Tillia provided additional expertise in the design process.
“It was really cool to see this be an idea at the beginning and watch the process of it growing and seeing what it means to the community,” she said.
Sitting at the corner of Washington and Locust streets, the Charles Waters bench was a collaboration between Broad Street Elementary School, local veterans and the Butler Rotary Club PM.
The bench not only honors the history of Independence Family Health Services’s new home as an art deco-style symbol of Butler military history, but also acknowledges the history of one specific veteran.
Waters was the first Black soldier in Pennsylvania.
Though he was originally from Maryland, he married a woman from Butler and became a part of the beating heart of the Butler community.
Waters wanted to be a part of the National Guard, just like the guys he was working with, according to Rotarian and Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche. He asked the commander if he could join, and the commander said that if every member of the group voted him in, he could be in.
Every member did.
Students like rising sixth graders, Annabelle Strausser and Kymani Nesbeth, worked alongside local veterans to help brainstorm the details of the bench and researched Waters.
During the ceremony, local Marine veteran and artist Lori Ceder and Sgt. Maj. Sam Zurzolo, presented the flag.
Annabelle and Kymani read poems they wrote about Charles Waters.
Both benches were made with U.S. Steel by Saxonburg manufacturing company CID Buildings for roughly $4,000.
Originally when Sue Bowser, was quoted for $15,000 for the construction of one of the benches, she didn’t know what to do.
Yet, when Scott Docherty of CID Buildings heard about the Rotary’s plight, he offered to build those benches in Butler County for a fraction of the price, and helped Bowser see the project through.
The Charles Waters bench was funded through a Remake Learning grant through Broad Street Elementary School.
Both benches were made possible through the Rotary’s PA Creative Industry and were matched by a private, anonymous donor.
“When we look at projects like this big and small, it’s telling me that this is a community is worth investing in,” Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy said.
“It’s fabulous what they are doing for the community, recognizing service members and the post office,” bench fabricator Bob Williams said.
The stamp and Charles Waters benches join two other Butler Rotary inspiration benches: a book bench outside of Emily Brittain Elementary School and a monarch bench in Ritts Park.
The four sit in a line along Washington Street and are a part of the Rotary club’s Inspiration Trail, which is part of the club’s ongoing goal to establish an arts and cultural district Butler.
