Don’t overlook Mercer Township— Butler County’s smallest
“Thank you for calling Mercer Township. How may I help you?” is the phone greeting that often leads to me donning my detective cap and solving a mystery. “A mystery,” you say? “How exciting!”
The truth is, often not. Where in the world IS Mercer Township? Many folks think it is in Mercer COUNTY. One woman thought it was someplace in New Jersey. I often feel like an air traffic controller trying to send people in the right direction.
The answer is that Mercer Township, measuring just under 13 square miles, is located in the northwest corner of Butler County. It borders both Mercer County to the west and Venango County to the north. It contains the Village of Forestville at the southern end of the township, and surrounds Harrisville Borough, a small town tucked inside the township that maintains its own governing body. The main state roads in the township are Routes 8, 58 and 173.
Mercer Township (pop. 1,010 as of the 2020 U.S. Census) is made up of mostly single-family residential homes nestled among rolling hills of woodlands and farmlands.
My grandfather told stories of growing up on a dairy farm where he would milk the cows then deliver the milk on horse and buggy around the neighborhood. On cold Sunday mornings at 5 a.m., he would take his horse and buggy full of wood to St. Anthony’s Church to start the fire to heat up the building for mass. Priests would travel from the seminary at Herman and would pass the time between masses at neighboring homes where a cup of coffee and conversation were plenty.
Many a story has been told about places that once existed and some that still do.
Stories include the Forestville one-room schoolhouse, Forestville Methodist Church, St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, the general store, the spaghetti house, the beer distributor, the lumber yard and the train station on Station Road (named Harrisville Station). There are also a few tales of the supernatural that residents have experienced, even in recent times.
When passenger trains still traveled through our area, local people would hop on the train, head to Butler to the Penn Theater to watch the “picture show,” grab a hot dog at The Hot Dog Shop and take the train back home.
At one time, the Forestville Post Office was the smallest operating post office in the USA. Many residents of Forestville still receive their mail in their post office boxes at the newer enlarged building on the Isacco property. Bertha McFadden was the Forestville post mistress for many years, and some longtime residents still remember her fondly.
On top of farming, coal and limestone mining provided many jobs. Many residents also worked at Cooper Bessemer and GE in Grove City, an industry that manufactured locomotive engines.
Hunting, fishing and gardening were prevalent outdoor activities that continue today. If you are lucky, you might discover an old Indian arrowhead buried in your garden.
Growing up in this community was safe and fun. Neighbors were friends and children played outside with other children until it got dark.
Although the world is changing and Mercer Township is changing along with it, there are still many reminders of the “good old days” here. Two of the three supervisors, along with myself as the secretary, were born and raised here, and the third has lived here since the 1970s.
Overall, we continue to be a safe, friendly, relaxed community that supports our neighbors and keeps an eye out for each other.
Nikki Ciochetto is the secretary/treasurer for Mercer Township and a third-generation resident. The township’s peak population of 1,296 was recorded in 1850.
