Volume 2, Issue 7, December, 2009 of The

The Pipeline
Your Conduit for Information about Oil 150
217 Elm Street; Oil City, PA 16301-1412
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
December, 2009
Oil 150 Hosts Drake Biography Signing
Inside this Issue:
by Marilyn Black
Drake Biography Signing
1
Remembering & Looking Forward 1
Historical Marker Dedication
2
Best Wishes to Will Wingo
3
Thank You, Steering Committee
3
Edwin Drake Book
4
Thank You to Donors
5
Featured Events
January 23, 2010, The Valley that
Changed the World Screening. Take
a trip to Oil Creek State Park and
check out a screening of The Valley
that Changed the World in the Park
Amphitheater at 7:00 P.M. Cost is
$1.00 and proceeds benefit Friends
of Oil Creek State Park. Contact Oil
Creek State Park at (814) 676-5915.
March 10-11, 2010, Philanthropy
Symposium. Oil 150 will host a symposium entitled ―Philanthropic Legacy of the Oil Pioneers,‖ featuring
representatives from major foundations and philanthropic organizations.
The event will be held at the University of Pittsburgh, Titusville Campus.
To register, call (814) 677-3152.
April 29—May 1, 2010, Petroleum
History Institute’s Annual Symposium
& Field Trip. 2010’s symposium will
take place in Lafayette, Louisiana for
PHI members. For information on
membership and the symposium,
visit www.petroleumhistory.org or
email Jeff Spencer at
JSpencer@blackpoolenergy.com.
For more oil history events
Visit www.oil150.com
The Oil Region Alliance is pleased to announce that the new Edwin Drake biography was released locally and across the country in December. Myth, Legend, Reality Edwin Laurentine Drake and the Early Oil Industry was authored by Dr. William Brice,
a professor retired from the Johnstown, PA campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
Mrs. Lynn Pacior-Malys with Fine Line Design of Oil City provided the graphic design
services for this book, which was
printed by Mechling Bookbindery
of Chicora in Butler County,
Pennsylvania. The foreword for
this 673-page book was written
by Dr. Brent Glass, Director of
the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of American History in
Washington, DC.
Oil 150 hosted book signings
with the author and graphic designer at Farmers National Bank
in downtown Titusville on December 18 and at the Venango
Dr. William Brice and Mrs. Lynn Pacior-Malys sign Museum of Art, Science & Indusbooks while Mrs. Heather Brice looks on at the
try in Oil City on December 19.
Venango Museum in Oil City, PA.
Dr. William Brice greeted
(Photo by Kim Harris)
(Continued Page 4)
Editor’s Column--Mark’s Remarks
Remembering & Looking Forward
Over the past
months, I have been
all over the map of the
oil and gas conversation. While I will enjoy
the relative freedom
of writing a little less
often now that the
Mark Heim celebration is winding
down, I have come to
know the Pennsylvania Oil Heritage Area
better: facts, events, history, and people.
I dare say the real wandering through Oil
Country, my mission to touch the ground,
is just beginning. The journey started
many months ago with an all-day visit to
the American Refining Group facility in
Bradford, Pennsylvania.
The refinery in Bradford celebrated its
125th anniversary not so long ago. It is
the oldest continuously operating oil refinery in the United States. The refinery is
as much a part of the oil landscape in
Northwest Pennsylvania as the historic
Drake Well or the McClintock Well near
Oil City. Almost all of these places are
proudly marked with gold-on-blue state
historical markers placed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The markers point to so many
places, such as the site of Pithole, the
wickedest city east of the Mississippi;
Petroleum Centre; the nearby Humboldt
Refinery site; and the site of the well
known Atlantic Refinery in Franklin, PA.
(Continued Page 3)
PAGE 2
T HE PI PE LI N E
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Oil 150 Dedicates Benson Historical Marker
by Melissa Mann
Steering Committee
Co-Chairs
John E. Peterson, Retired Congressman
Bruce Wells, American Oil & Gas Historical
Society
Lynn Cochran, Franklin Area Chamber of
Commerce
Members
Janet McClintock Aaron, Legacy Family
Carol Baker, Pennsylvania Independent
Petroleum Producers
Brenda Barrett, Bureau Director, PA DCNR
Hon. Ronald Black, Retired Legislator
Dr. William Brice, Petroleum History
Institute
Richard Castonguay, Municipal Leader
Pamela Egbert Forker, Legacy Family
Harvey Golubock, American Refining
Group, Inc.
Mark Heim, News Director, WKQW Radio
PA Representative Scott Hutchinson
Gary Hutchison, Educator and Area
Historian
Barbara Ives, Field Representative, U.S.
Congressman Glenn Thompson
Steve Kosak, Kosak & Associates
Thomas Lopus, Quest Eastern Resource,
on behalf of the Independent Petroleum
Association of America (IPAA)
Lois McElwee, Senior Project Manager and
Oil Historian
Carolee Michener, Venango County
Historical Society
Dr. Christopher Reber, Clarion University
of Pennsylvania
Rhonda Reda, Ohio Oil and Gas Association
Stephen W. Rhoads, Pennsylvania Oil &
Gas Association
J. Mickey Rowley, PA Department of
Community and Economic Development
Roger L. Sigworth, Retired Oil Industry Sales
Dr. Donald B. Smith, Physician
David Waples, National Fuel Gas and
Natural Gas Author
Frank Weltner, Master Mariner
Commissioner Troy Wood, Venango County,
Pennsylvania
Larry D. Woodfork, West Virginia Geologist
PA Senator Mary Jo Sanford White
Barbara Zolli, Drake Well Museum
Newsletter
Editor-in-Chief - Mark Heim
Student Editor - Rebecca McElhatten
On Thursday, December 10, 2009
the Oil Region Alliance of Business,
Industry & Tourism in conjunction with
the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission dedicated a new
state historical marker commemorating
Byron D. Benson. A crowd of 30 people
attended the event at the Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
Speakers at the event included Lois
Nazzaro, Benson Memorial Library
Board member; Neil McElwee, local
historian; Barbara Zolli, Director of the
Drake Well Museum and PHMC representative; Randy Seitz, President and
COO of the Oil Region Alliance; and Will
Wingo, Oil 150 Director.
―The Oil Region Alliance is proud to
make the Byron D. Benson historical
marker the 12th state historical marker
it has sponsored in Pennsylvania’s Oil
Region,‖ remarked Randy Seitz, President of the Oil Region Alliance. He continued, ―We are pleased to join the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission and our regional partners
in demonstrating our pride in the region
and its history.‖
Barbara Zolli, Dr. James Zehner, Dr.
Janet Zehner, Randy Seitz, and Neil
McElwee (left to right) unveil new
Byron D. Benson historical marker.
(Photo by Mike Henderson)
The ceremony concluded with the official unveiling of the new marker, which
stands in front of the residence at 603
North Perry Street where Mr. Benson lived
from 1872 through 1888.
The marker reads:―Byron D. Benson
(1832-1888). A founder and first president of Tidewater Pipe Co., est. 1878. He
transformed the shipment of oil with a
larger 6-inch pipe that covered greater
distances than ever before. This pipeline
was first to carry Pa. crude directly to
Byron D. Benson’s former
coastal refineries. Benson lived here,
home in Titusville, PA.
1872-1888.‖
(Photo by Melissa Mann)
Financial support for the production of
the Dodd historical marker was provided by the Petroleum History Institute and
the Oil Region Alliance. The City of Titusville furnished the marker’s installation
while Drs. James and Janet Zehner provided refreshments and hospitality following the dedication ceremony.
is an educational non-partisan celebration administered by the Oil
Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism (ORA). ORA is classified by the Internal
Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. ORA is registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations. ORA also administers the Oil Region
National Heritage Area, designated by Congress in 2004.
VO L UM E 2 , I S S UE 7
T HE PI PE LI N E
Best Wishes to Will Wingo
by Marilyn Black
William ―Will‖ Wingo served as the Director of Oil
150 since December of 2007. His term of duty in that
capacity concluded as of December 18, 2009, as part
of the winding down of coordination responsibilities for
the nationwide celebration period. Please join us in
wishing Will very well as he tackles some new adventures locally and abroad.
Several of his special contributions to the ―Oil 150‖
endeavor include: (a) daily updating of
www.oil150.com to include events, essays, products,
publications, and related information;
(b) researching and responding to the numerous information requests generated through the website, which
is recently averaging use by more than 400 people per
day; (c) fulfilling daily incoming orders for books and
publications, as well as distribution of Oil 150 merchandise to more than a dozen sales locations
throughout the Oil Region; (d) representing the Oil Region Alliance and the Oil 150 Steering Committee at
(Photo by Darl Black)
multiple speaking engagements, industrial trade
shows, customized field trips, and similar presentations; (e) coordinating industrial
businesses and clubs, especially those involving oil field equipment; (f) supervising
the Oil 150 staff within the Heritage Department of the Oil Region Alliance; and (g)
scheduling special events, program presentations, and showings of the various
documentaries generated as Oil 150 educational materials.
During the next several months, Oil 150 Deputy Director Melissa Mann will continue working full-time at the Oil Region Alliance maintaining these duties while
simultaneously preparing ―close-out‖ reports to the many generous donors and
foundations which have provided monetary support to Oil 150. Don’t hesitate to
contact her directly at (800) 483-6264, Ext. 103 or mmann@oilregion.org.
Thank You, Oil 150 Steering Committee!
(Photo by Kim Harris)
Planning for the sesquicentennial celebration of the oil industry in Northwest Pennsylvania began in 2005. The first meeting of the Oil 150 Steering
Committee was held in October 2007. The final meeting of the group was held
December 14, 2009. The Oil Region Alliance thanked the committee for all its
hard work and dedication with a luncheon.
PAGE 3
(Continued from Page 1)
Remembering & Looking Forward
The early oil industry thrived in Oil City,
a city founded at the confluence of the
Allegheny River and Oil Creek, expressly to
serve the burgeoning oil industry. Oil brokers, bankers, financiers, buyers, and sellers facilitated the trade and exchange of
billions of dollars in oil and oil futures yes billions - right on the city’s sidewalks.
The dealings in oil spawned a multitude of ancillary industries: oil field supplies, drills, pumpjacks, engines, pipes,
and every sort of tool and part – barges,
barrels, and tanks. The list gushes for
miles. The people who worked with oil,
including producers, refiners, drillers,
draymen, teamsters, roustabouts, shooters, and every trade in between, established their families in the oil region. The
oil industry is said to have invented itself
as it went along, adapting to new developments and technology over the decades.
All of this musing only scratches the
surface of what took place during the Oil
150 celebrations: concerts, plays, exhibits, parades, fireworks, festivals, nitro
shows, hands on experiences with oil field
equipment, conversations with oil field
independent producers, public television
documentaries, the republishing of out-ofprint oil literature, exciting new research,
forums both scientific and not, presentations and lectures, and oil field tall tales.
Each new historical marker brought the
opportunity to travel to a new and personally unexplored corner of oildom.
I live in oil country as a relative newcomer. The place is my home. A reawakened awareness of the oil and gas industry prepares a solid foundation for the
future direction of the oil region. To get a
feel for the future of the region, one must
truly touch the ground to feel and understand the history.
I’m hopeful and optimistic for the future of the oil region. Thousands came to
visit and celebrate with us. I’m thankful
for the opportunity to have told you a little
about where I live and what I’ve learned.
Come and touch the history here. You will
be glad you did.
PAGE 4
T HE PI PE LI N E
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Now Available!
Written by Dr. William Brice,
this new 673-page, full color biography
is the definitive work on Edwin L. Drake
and his connection to the early oil pioneers.
Myth, Legend, Reality - Edwin Laurentine Drake
and the Early Oil Industry includes a foreword by
Dr. Brent Glass, Director of the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History.
This $40 book is a must have for oil
historians and enthusiasts.
Your library will be incomplete without it!
To purchase a copy,
visit www.oil150.com
or call 800-483-6264.
(Continued from Page 1) Drake Biography Signing
attendees and wrote personal messages in
books purchased.
―This beautiful and fascinating book provides well-documented answers to many of
the questions which have puzzled historians
for years,‖ says Randy Seitz, President of the
Oil Region Alliance. ―We’re honored to have
sponsored the research, writing, and publication of what we believe will rapidly become
an important reference book for many years
to come.‖
In a book review published in the December 11, 2009 edition of New Energy News,
Herman K. Trabish wrote, ―It is a great and
true tale and Brice tells in excellently and
authoritatively and he is a pleasure to read.‖
The book retails for $40 and may be purchased at the Oil Region Alliance office at
217 Elm Street in Oil City, Drake Well Museum Gift Shop in Titusville, PA, the Venango
Museum of Art, Science & Industry in Oil City,
the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce in
Franklin, and the Transit Fine Arts Gallery in
Oil City. Phone orders are accepted by calling
the Oil Region Alliance at (814) 677-3152.
Orders are also processed through
www.oil150.com and www.oilregion.org.
Dr. Brice and Mrs.
Pacior-Malys at Farmers
National Bank in Titusville, PA on December
18. Dr. Brice and Mrs.
Pacior-Malys show the
new book and the elaborate mural on the ceiling
of the building, depicting
Edwin L. Drake and the
oil industry. The mural at
Farmers National Bank
of Titusville is included in
their book, Myth, Legend, Reality - Edwin
Laurentine Drake and
the Early Oil Industry.
(Photo by Mike
Henderson)
PAGE 5
T HE PI PE LI N E
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 7
Thank You, Oil 150 Donors!
American Refining Group
U.S. Department of Energy
Baker Hughes Foundation
Joy Mining Machinery
County of Crawford, PA
County of Venango, PA
Universal Well Services, Inc.
Henry B. Suhr, Jr. and Beverly L. Suhr
Barr’s Insurance and James Hawkins
Edward Jones Investments
PA Department of Community and
Economic Development
Pennsylvania Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources
Pennsylvania Joint Legislative Air and
Water Pollution Control and
Conservation Committee
Anonymous
Betty Squire
Carolee Michener
Central Electric Cooperative
Pennsylvania Humanities Council
Dan and Darlene Twombly
Darl and Marilyn Black
Gary Hutchison
Scott and Mary Beth Hutchinson
Joanne Wolfe
Quentin and Louise Wood
Oil Region Alliance
Pennsylvania Historical and
Museum Commission
Timothy Brooks, D.P.M.
Clarion University Foundation
Elizabeth S. Black Charitable Trust
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Associates - Dr. Donald Smith, Dr. Robert
Woods and Dr. John Karian
Frank and Phyllis Weltner
National Park Service
Armstrong Cable
Janet McClintock Aaron
Appalachian Regional Commission
Linn Energy, LLC
National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp.
Staff
William Wingo, Director
Melissa Mann, Deputy Director
Rebecca McElhatten, Student Editor
www.oil150.com
Petroleum History Institute
Kapp Alloy and Wire, Inc.
Oil Creek Railway Historical Society, Inc.
Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association
Philo and Sarah Blaisdell Foundation
American Oil and Gas Historical Society
William and Heather Brice
Larry Woodfork
Moody and Associates
Neil and Lois McElwee
Ronald and Patricia Black
Ohio Oil and Gas Association’s
Energy Education Program
PA CareerLink
Edith Justus Charitable Trust
Ken and Joan Hanson
OMG Americas, Inc.
Independent Oil & Gas Association of PA
Dr. & Mrs. Arthur William
Phillips Charitable Trust
National Fuel Gas Company Foundation
Pennsylvania General
Energy Company, LLC
Association of Desk and Derrick
Clubs Foundation
President Township, Venango County
International Oil Scouts Association
City of Oil City
Scrubgrass Township,
Venango County
New York State Oil
Producers Association, Inc.
Richard King Mellon Foundation
American Association of Professional
Landmen Educational Foundation, Inc.
National Petrochemical and
Refiners Association
Cranberry Township, Venango County
Franklin Bronze Plaques
Catalyst Energy, Inc.
Lambert and Martineau
Kriebel Production Company
Samuel Pratt, Jr.
American Petroleum Institute
Randy Seitz, President/COO
Marilyn Black, Vice-President for
Heritage Development
217 Elm Street
Oil City, PA 16301-1412
814-677-3152
www.oilregion.org
Ron and Alice Shoup
ExxonMobil Foundation
Dennis Beggs
Rod Griffin
Sonja Hawkins
Dave Pascale
Dr. Chris Reber
Thomas Surman
Warren Thomas
Barbara Zolli
John Cramer
Steve Hanna
Jim Hawkins
Betsy and David Kellner
Mike and Christine Klapec
Susan Smith
Mike Adams
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Adams
Jack and Pam Crawford
George and Sharon Dorogy
Pamela Forker
Ron Gustafson
Bruce and Libby Jenkins
Daniel Leech
Rainey Linn
Bob McFate
Lois Minnigh
Mark and Carol Prokay
Steve and Emmy Prokay
Patty Reagle
Matt and Sara Sampson
Dave and Sue Straub
George Thompson
Susan Williams
Ralph W. Baird
Baird Petrophysical International
Jack W. Corn
Mark Aldrich
Louis Brown Fleming
Mary Barrett
Matthew R. Silverman
Mark Heim
U.S. Association for Energy Economics
This newsletter is copyrighted to OIL 150
at the Oil Region Alliance of Business,
Industry & Tourism. Brief excerpts may
be quoted so long as source is acknowledged. For longer excerpts, contact project staff. Articles and photos may be
submitted for future editions. Authors
and photographers are recognized but
not compensated. Deadline for each
edition is the 15th of the preceding
month. The Pipeline is distributed electronically via www.oil150.com. Letters to
the Editor may be addressed to Editor, Oil
150, 217 Elm Street, Oil City, PA
16301.