The place of the Parit Sulong Massacre (The Bridge of Pekan Parit Sulong) was situated in this district. It is located in Mukim Simpang Kiri at Pekan Parit Sulong. The original bridge has now been demolished and it was replaced by a new bridge; the plaque of the massacre exists until today.
There used to be a Batu Pahat Bank. However, in 1963 Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation created Pacific Bank to acquire 97% of Batu Pahat Bank. Singaporean businessmen incorporated the OCBC bank in 1919 to serve the needs of the local Chinese community, which comprise the majority of the town's population. At the time Batu Pahat in Johore was a center for the production of rubber. OCBC bought the bank in anticipation of the union between Malaya and Singapore . Until the 1980s, both OCBC and Pacific banks were still located face to face at the junction of Jalan Soga and Jalan Rahmat. On the 1 January 2001, Pacific Bank Berhad merged with MayBank and PhileoAllied Bank, after a Malaysian Government directive.
On the 16 October 1980, Batu Pahat police killed eight members of a sword-wielding mob led by a Cambodian refugee-cum-cult leader, Ahmad Nasir Ismail, who claimed to be Imam Mahadi, a sort of messiah. They had stormed the police headquarters in Batu Pahat, injuring 14 policemen and 9 civilians. The self-styled Mahadi was among those killed.
Batu Pahat celebrated its 100th year of foundation in 1994. The delayed celebration was held in the city area with street cultural performances at night and ended with a fireworks display near the Dataran (city square)
