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Formation of Butler County Pennsylvania
Between 1796 and 1800, emigrants from Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette
and Allegheny Counties sought homes in Armstrong, Beaver and Butler Counties. Land was cheap and the question of tiltes had
been satisfactory adjusted with the Indians and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Patents were being issued, sometimes based on
"Tomahawk Rights". This name arose froma method of giving notice by settlers blazing the bark from trees, generally near a
spring and felling others as evidence of staking their claims.
By An Act of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approved
March 12, 1800, BUTLER COUNTY was incorporated by severing a portion of land from Allegheny County. The new county as it now
exists is described as follows:" Beginning at a locust tree on the south side of Buffalo Creek (near Freeport); thence along
the Allegheny line due West to Alexander's District; thence due North along that line and Beaver County to a corner near the
juntion of Muddy Creek and Slippery Rock; thence North fifthteen degrees east fifthteen miles along
the Mercer County line to a white oak tree (a little North od Harrisville) in the Third Donation District; thence due East
along the Armstrong County line to the place of beginning." One of the provisions of the Act was that the seat of justice
should not be more than 4 miles from the center of the county. The act also provided that it be attached to Allegheny County
for administrative and judicial purposes until Butler County was duly organized.
Another Act was passed April 2nd, 1803, by which the county was organized
for judical purposes. This completed the formation of 502,400 acres of woodland and rolling hills as the COUNTY OF BUTLER,
and three hundred acres as the BOROUGH OF BUTLER, and the County seat.
A bronze plaque placed in the entrance to the courthouse by the Daughters
of the American Revolution commemorates the BUTLER COUNTY in honor of Major General Richard Butler, Born April 1, 1743, in
Carlisle, Pa., according to some records and in other records born in Northern Ireland, from which his parents came
to Pennsylvania.
Note for Butler County:
The Butler Eagle Newspaper, organized in 1869, made ots first appearance March
2, 1870. Destined to be a sucessful and influential publication in BUTLER COUNTY, it started in a modest beginning.
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