History

Many locals know Butler as the birthplace of the Jeep! This stems back to the 1940 Bantam Reconnaissance Car produced by the American Bantam Car Company to fill the United State’s need for a sturdy, 4-wheel drive vehicle to haul soldiers and heavy artillery in World War II. Read more about the origins of the Bantam Jeep from this great Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau article https://www.visitbutlercounty.com/the-birthplace-the-jeep. 

One of the largest events of the year in Butler is the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. This weekend long party is ” a tribute event for the father of all jeeps, the history behind it, the people who created it, and its birthplace, Butler Pennsylvania.” The festival “invades” Main Street every year on Friday night with thousands of Jeeps and tens of thousands of spectators. In fact, the parade of Jeeps through Main Street has twice set the Guinness World Record. Visit http://www.bantamjeepfestival.com/ to learn more about the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. 

The Bantam Jeep is the inspiration for the painted wooden Jeep sculptures outside local businesses. View our gallery of Jeep Sculpture pictures here. If your business is interested in purchasing a Jeep, please contact us at info@butlerdowntown.org.