PARKESBURG, PA — A century-old story of ingenuity, faith and perseverance will take center stage in Parkesburg this fall as the William Chester Ruth Legacy Project brings history, music and community together for its third annual Innovation & Inspiration Fundraising Gala.
The Oct. 9 event at Schneider Parish Center will celebrate Ruth, an African American inventor and businessman whose mechanical inventions helped make agricultural and rural work safer and more efficient. This year’s theme, “Everything Old is New Again,” draws on the principle of Sankofa — looking to the past as a way to move forward.
Throughout the evening, that idea will be reflected in visual and dramatic arts, historical displays, and music from the acclaimed Pine Forge Academy Choir.
The Legacy Project was created to preserve Ruth’s story while connecting his example to 21st-century students and encouraging them to pursue goals that may seem out of reach.
Ruth designed and patented numerous mechanical devices, including a baler feeder that gathered straw coming from a thresher and fed it safely into a baler, as well as a mechanism for spreading cinders on icy roads.
His machine shop operated in Salisbury Township from 1923 to 1987.
Gala Proceeds Will Support New Salisbury Township Museum
Part of this year’s gala proceeds will support the Historical Society of Salisbury Township as it works to open and operate a new museum.
The museum is expected to eventually feature materials and images documenting Ruth’s historical role in the township, where his machine shop operated for decades.
The gala follows the Legacy Project’s 2025 “Crossroads to Innovation Tour,” which focused on the people and places that shaped Ruth’s life. The tour explored the Lancaster and Chester County borderlands where Ruth grew from a general blacksmith into an inventive machinist and business owner.
Dr. Richelle Gunter Named Honorary Legacy Chair
Dr. Richelle Gunter will serve as the gala’s honorary 2026 Legacy Chair.
Gunter is an ordained minister who serves on the ministerial staff at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, where she provides pastoral care and directs the Social Justice Ministry.
She also serves as president of the West Chester branch of the NAACP and recently added playwright to her work. Her play “Juneteenth: From Appomattox to Galveston” was presented at West Chester University as part of Juneteenth West Chester 2026.
Gunter’s professional background also includes more than 25 years in community mental health, working with children, families, and adults. Her recent research has focused on racialized trauma and its relationship to faith development, and she regularly presents workshops on spiritual development and journeys of faith.
Event Details
- What: 3rd Annual William Chester Ruth Legacy Project Innovation & Inspiration Fundraising Gala
- When: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
- Where: Schneider Parish Center, 2995 Cemetery Road, Parkesburg, PA 19365
- Cost/Tickets: Gala guest, $100; guests age 18 and younger, $75; virtual guest, $35; table for eight, $725
- More Info: https://www.wcruthlegacy.org
The evening’s “Everything Old is New Again” theme is rooted in Sankofa, emphasizing the idea that understanding history and heritage can help communities better understand the present and shape the future.
For the William Chester Ruth Legacy Project, that means doing more than preserving the story of an inventor from another era. It means using Ruth’s creativity, mechanical skill, and persistence as a bridge to the next generation — while helping another piece of local history find a permanent home.
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