Once or twice a month, members of the Butler Old Stone House Antique Car Club get together for work nights. They have a responsibility they take seriously: maintaining a 1909 Huselton touring car, the first automobile built in the City of Butler.

"This car is priceless," member John Yaroschak said. "And every time you take an old car out, some little thing will break or show signs of wear."

The Huselton is marking its 100th birthday this year. It is one of 13 handmade vehicles built in Butler by Huselton Automobile Co. between 1909 and 1913. Assembled in a small garage on the city's North Washington Street, the vehicles included passengers cars, a truck and a hearse.

The company's owner was Edgar Huselton. In 1984, his grandson, B.C. Huselton III, donated the car made by his grandfather to the city where it was manufactured. He also charged members of the antique auto club with the job of restoring and caring for the vehicle.

The club takes its name from the Old Stone House, a restored inn and tavern operated by Slippery Rock University. The 19th-century building is located in Brady Township at the intersection of Routes 8, 173 and 528.

Many, but not all, club members have vintage cars of their own, Mr. Yaroschak said. What they have in common is a love for fine workmanship and a willingness to get their hands dirty.

The organization has about 50 members, including several couples. "We enjoy the companionship, exchanging stories and learning different tricks of the trade - how to make certain parts," he said.

In addition to caring for the Huselton, the club owns two cars with strong links to Butler's industrial history. They are a 1922 Standard vestibule sedan and a 1920 Standard soft-top touring car.

A vestibule sedan has a higher rear door that extends to the roof line. It was designed to allow passengers to enter and exit without removing their top hats.

Both vehicles were made by a unit of the Standard Steel Car Co., a Butler-based manufacturer of railroad cars.

The sedan has been restored, and club members regularly take it and the Huselton to community activities. The older touring car is undergoing a "complete frame-off restoration," Mr. Yaroschak said.

He declined to speculate on when that project would be completed. "A lot of pieces are missing, and we need to make or find replacements."

Small auto manufacturers bought many of the parts used in their cars from other companies. The Huselton, for example, is powered by a four-cylinder, 40-horsepower engine made by the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Co. The car also features a dual ignition, with two spark plugs per cylinder, and wooden spoke wheels. The transmission has four forward and one reverse gear.

The car began its life as a sporty, two-seat "raceabout" and later was converted by Edgar Huselton into a longer four-door, seven-passenger touring car.

It has mechanical brakes on its rear axle only. "It needs lots of stopping distance and a heavy foot on the brake pedal," Mr. Yaroschak said.

Despite their ages, the restored vehicles are not kept under glass like museum pieces. "It is good to drive them once in a while," Mr. Yaroschak said. Members take them to at least a dozen events around the region each year.

The cars are transported by trailer to more distant shows and fairs, but they travel under their own power to activities in the Butler area.

Most recently the Huselton was on display at the Clearview Mall as part of its 100th birthday commemoration.

While club members have driven the vehicles in parades, those events can cause problems. "They tend to overheat with all the stopping and starting," Mr. Yaroschak said.

A mechanic at Rapp's Bicycle Center in Butler, Mr. Yaroschak, who lives in Jefferson, first joined the antique car club in 1984. He left for many years and rejoined about two years ago. He and his wife, Teresa, now head the club's membership committee. Daryl Kemerer, of Prospect, is club president.

The organization is an affiliate of the Antique Automobile Club of America.

People interested in more information about the local club can contact the Yaroschaks at 657 Saxonburg Road, Butler, PA, 16002. Members meet for business meetings at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Butler Farm Show Grounds on Route 68, west of the City of Butler in Connoquenessing Township

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