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After a long absence, Pennsylvania Crusher has brought back the iconic Rock Buster that served as a corporate symbol in the company's early years.

The muscular symbol takes on new prominence as part of an updated Pennsylvania Crusher logo that has begun appearing on everything from the company's letterhead and business cards to the labels on its crushers and feeders.

The name "Buster" is a fairly recent addition to the burley rock crusher's long history.

Several years ago, Penn Crusher President Don Melchiorre rediscovered him on a 1921 metal nameplate that had been part of an early hammermill machine label. Don christened him "Buster" and had the nameplate hung in a prominent place at the company's main office in Broomall, PA.

The name stuck, and Buster got his first modern-day starring role at the top of Penn Crusher's 2005 calendar.

The calendar celebrated the company's milestone of 100 years in business, and Buster served as the perfect symbol of Penn Crusher's long history of leadership in the development and manufacture of hammermills and other crushing equipment.

When Penn Crusher V.P. of Sales Lee Doyer recently asked Marketing Communications Manager Theresa Antell to propose some options for a new logo design for the company, "Buster" was the unanimous choice.

Buster replaces a rather abstract "PC" symbol that Lee explains was meant to represent the outline of a reversible crusher. "Most people didn't get it," Lee says, "and we're all glad to see Buster in its place. Everyone loves Buster."

The new logo is modeled after the same 1921 nameplate that appeared on the anniversary calendar.

To the best of anyone's recollection, Buster seems to have appeared sometime between 1910 and 1920. Pennsylvania Crusher has been trying to learn more about Buster's story.

New Logo Prompts Search for Buster's History and Prize for Best Stories

The new Penn Crusher logo features the rock crushing Buster

If you have any information that you think might add to the Buster legend, go to the Buster Story Entry Form. Tell your Buster story and enter to win a one-gigabyte USB memory stick pre-loaded with the Pennsylvania Crusher Handbook of Crushing.

Perhaps you have a vintage crusher at your facility with an early Buster image on the nameplate. Your Buster story may be factual or fanciful. In addition to winning a memory stick, the best entries will be included in a future story here on this blog and on the Penn Crusher website. To be a part of the Buster history project, enter your story now.

Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator