Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Petroleum Center is a populated place
in Cornplanter Township, Venango County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. In the 19th century the name was also spelled "Petroleum Centre". The town today is almost deserted.
, about 5 miles NNE of Oil City
. Petroleum Center lies near the tracks of the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad.
of the mid-19th century. It was the site of oil wells controlled by George Henry Bissell
's Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company. US President Ulysses S. Grant
visited the town in 1871. When a fire devastated the nearby town of Pithole, Pennsylvania, that town's newspaper, the Pithole Daily Record, was relocated to Petroleum Center. The town was founded in 1861 and was essentially abandoned after 1873.
The town is the birthplace of Congressman James F. Burke
.
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...
in Cornplanter Township, Venango County
Venango County, Pennsylvania
Venango County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,984. Its county seat is Franklin.-History:Venango County was created on March 12, 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the 19th century the name was also spelled "Petroleum Centre". The town today is almost deserted.
Geography
Petroleum Center is located at 41°30′58"N 79°40′57"W (41.516, -79.682), at an elevation of 1,070 feet above sea level, along the banks of Oil Creek. It is most easily found on local maps at the intersection of Petroleum Center Road and Russell Corners Road, within Oil Creek State ParkOil Creek State Park
Oil Creek State Park is Pennsylvania state park on in Cherrytree, Cornplanter and Oil Creek Township Townships, Venango County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is adjacent to Drake Well Museum, the site of the first successful oil well in the United States, that was drilled under the...
, about 5 miles NNE of Oil City
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...
. Petroleum Center lies near the tracks of the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad.
History
As the name implies, Petroleum Center was developed during the Pennsylvanian oil rushPennsylvanian oil rush
The Pennsylvanian oil rush was a "boom" in petroleum production which occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania from 1859 to about 1870. It was the first oil boom in the United States....
of the mid-19th century. It was the site of oil wells controlled by George Henry Bissell
George Bissell (industrialist)
George Henry Bissell is often considered the father of the American oil industry. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, the son of Isaac Bissell and Nancy Wemple....
's Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company. US President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
visited the town in 1871. When a fire devastated the nearby town of Pithole, Pennsylvania, that town's newspaper, the Pithole Daily Record, was relocated to Petroleum Center. The town was founded in 1861 and was essentially abandoned after 1873.
The town is the birthplace of Congressman James F. Burke
James F. Burke
James Francis Burke was Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
.
