Editing Mars, Pennsylvania (section)

== History ==
[[File:SpaceshipMarsPA.jpg|thumb|left|Spaceship statue in Mars]]
In 1873, Samuel Parks constructed a home and a water-powered [[gristmill]] along Breakneck Creek. Parks decided to have a [[post office]] placed in his home, so he received help from his friend Samuel Marshall to help establish it. The name of the post office became '''Overbrook'''.<ref name="Gazetteer p.228">''An Historical Gazetteer of Butler County, Pennsylvania'', p. 228.</ref> In 1877, the [[Pittsburgh, New Castle and Lake Erie Railroad]] was constructed through Overbrook, and had a station built there. In 1882, the name of the community was changed to '''Mars''' since the railroad already had a stop with the name "Overbrook".<ref name="Gazetteer p.228"/> No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Parks's wife who enjoyed [[astronomy]], while others believe it was shortened after Samuel Marshall's name.<ref>''An Historical Gazetteer of Butler County, Pennsylvania'', p. 229.</ref> On March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough.

In 1904, the [[Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway]] gained permission from Mars to construct its [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] through the borough. The line become part of the [[Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway]] in 1917, being renamed Pittsburgh, Mars and Butler Railway. The line closed in 1931.

The {{USS|Mars|AFS-1}} was named after the borough. The ship became part of the [[United States Pacific Fleet]] in 1963, and was decommissioned in 1998. It was then sunk in 2006 as a target vessel. The bell of the USS ''Mars'' was loaned to the borough and has become a part of a memorial in the downtown park.