Oil City Library
The Oil City Library opened in 1904 with funding assistance from Andrew Carnegie and a book collection started by the Belles Lettres Club. Go inside to learn more about the City's history, see what events are happening, and what else the library now offers besides books! Click here to visit their website for information on-the-go. Check out this Hidden Heritage article on the Library Hall, which is currently slated for renovation.
Chief Cornplanter Mural
"Chief Cornplanter and the Oilmen" by Michael Allison, of HollidaysburgNative Americans inhabited the area for generations before the arrival of European settlers. Members of the Seneca Tribe were here when French explorers arrived in the late 1700s. The Seneca were aware of oil in the creek and collected it in timber-lined pits. Cornplanter was a Seneca Indian war chief and diplomat of the Wolf clan who fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. Seneca Chief Cornplanter was granted three land tracts in the 1790s by the PA Commonwealth in appreciation for his services during the American Revolution. One tract of about 300 acres included what would become Oil City. Afterward, he had many complicated dealings with the white men who occupied the area, but his legacy was favorable enough that one of Pennsylvania's 1,454 townships is named after him.The first settlers within the current city boundary were Francis and Sarah Halyday, who lived near the confluence of Oil Creek and the Allegheny River. New residents arrived slowly to the area into the mid-19th century. Circumstances changed dramatically after Edwin Drake's successful oil strike along Oil Creek just outside of Titusville. In 1859, the settlement then called Cornplanter was located at the mouth of Oil Creek at the Allegheny River and included about 25 people and a few buildings. As people arrived to join the booming Oil Industry, many became residents of the imediate area. In 1861, the name of the town was changed to Oil City and the municipal government was organized the next year. In 1865, the population was approximately 6,000. That's quite an increase from just 25 people only six years earlier!Oil City became the hub for oil transport- first by waterways, then by train, and later by pipeline. Many companies operated within the area and successful operations expanded, attracting more residents. In 1871, Oil City was incorporated as a city and municipal improvement projects, such as sewer and new water supply systems, soon followed. The oil fields boomed until the discovery of larger fields in other states and countries in the 20th century. Several oil-related companies in Oil City remained in operation, but eventually they ceased operations or relocated. The oil boom helped shape Oil City into the place it is today. For more information on the funding of this mural, check out this link.
Christ Episcopal Church
Oil City includes several historic churches and two are very close to the library. Next door is the Christ Episcopal Church, designed by Enoch A. Curtis. The first Episcopal worship services in Oil City were held in 1862, in rented rooms in Oil City’s Third Ward. Work started in 1886 to accomodate the growing congregation. Our first building was constructed on East First Street and served the community from 1870 until 1887. The current church building held its first worship service on Easter Sunday, 1887. The classic Gothic Revival building was designed by E. A. Curtis of Fredonia, New York, who also designed the National Transit Building in Oil City.Our adjoining social hall, Kapp Hall, was opened in 1905 and serves as a venue for many community activities.Sources: christchurchoc.org,
Grace United Methodist Church
The second church is the Grace United Methodist Church across W. 1st Street. In the year 1863 the Reverend John McCombs and the Reverend J. M. Groves began the work of establishing a congregation with a revival meeting at the schoolhouse at Pinoak. In March, 1870 the Trustees purchased property on East Third Street. Records show that building was completed and dedicated December 11, 1870. By 1886 the name of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church was in use for introduction to the 1887 Atlas of Oil City. The frame building on East Third Street continued to serve the growing congregation for two decades.On March 1, 1891 the present lot was purchased and the cornerstone was laid in 1892. It was designed in 1892 by architect W. Holmes Crosby with a rear addition built in 1995. On December 8, 1895 the present church was dedicated. In 1955 the Education section of the church, named Asbury Hall was built and was dedicated in September, 1958. For more information, check out their website.
YWCA of Oil City
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Oil City was established in 1927 and operated with no formal meeting space until Fanny Perkins Reed, a Vermont native who moved to Oil City to teach, gifted the Central Avenue home in 1939 which she and her husband, George, purchased in 1932. The home, distinguished by a high tower, was built by local store owner and oil producer Samuel Maxwell. For more information, check out the Hidden Heritage article celebrating 100 Years of YWCA and the YWCA website.
Oil City Knights of Columbus
Established in 1899, this auditorium was dedicated in June 1928. The firm of Brenot & Hicks designed the building and L.O. Bouquin & Co. constructed it. The auditorium continues as event space for various groups and gatherings.
Saint Stephen's School
Saint Stephen's School is a Roman Catholic elementary school that opened in 1955 to accomodate up to 600 students. While the school was established in 1945, it quickly outgrew the space, which let to the construction of this building. The school remains in operation as of 2024.
205 W 3rd Street
The house at 205 W 3rd Street was built in 1898 by Henry Surh, who co-founded the Penn Refining and Germania Refinery companies. Through mergers, these companies became part of the Pennzoil Corporation in the 20th century. Surh is interred at Grove Hill Cemetary (a stop on the North Side tour). Many of the other houses on W 3rd Street were constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries on small lots. Most have alleys at the rear of the lots that led to (or lead too - some survive!) carriage houses or garages.
Moran Street
The bend in the Allegheny River at Oil City slowed the speed of the river's waters, providing a spot for barges and rafts to land easily. For many years, the Bannons and Halydays rented rooms in their homes and space in their barns to bargemen and rafters using the landing at Oil Creek Furnace. About 1852 or 1853, Thomas Moran settled in the area and built a large inn (Moran House) next to the Bannon home. It proved popular and soon expanded, and became a local landmark. Moran street is named for the Moran family who settled in what would become Oil City in 1845. Two of Thomas Moran's sons, Daniel and Thomas J., held the position of Oil City commissioner in the 1880s.
114 Moran Street
The house at 114 Moran Street (second house on the left side) was built in 1882 by Willis J. Hullings, an active politician who served in the PA House of Representatives from 1881-1886, PA State Senate from 1906-1910, and US House of Representatives from 1913-1915 and 1919-1921. Hulings is also burind in Grove Hill Cemetery.
W 1st Street
W 1st Street includes stately houses on the right side of the street that were constructed by industrial leaders of the 19th century. Houses on the left side may be on smaller lots, but are also excellent examples of Victorian architectural styles. Look for details such as irregular layouts, round turrets on the corners, and decorative woodwork on the porches and gable pitches.
Belle Lettres Club
The Belle Lettres Club, formed in 1888 as a women's club to study literature, was integral to the establishment of the Oil City Library. Henry McSweeny gave this building, his former home, to the club in 1929. He also provided an endowment that was used to construct the auditorium in 1929. The club remains active in various causes. For more information, visit their website.
Former Tree of Life Synagogue
One modern building on W 1st Street is diagonal from Belle Lettres. The Tree of Life Synagogue was constructed in 1957, but the Jewish Community in Oil City dates back to at least 1891 when the first Jewish congregation formed in the city. The property was sold to the Oil City YMCA in 2019.
Second Presbyterian Church
The Second Presbyterian Church at the corner of W 1st and Reed Street was designed in 1913 by architect Emmett E. Bailey in the Late Gothic Revival style. The building features heavy stone walls, delicate stained glass windows, and an expansive tile roof. For more information, check out the Hidden Heritage article celebrating their 150 years.
South Side Commercial District
The South Side commercial district stretches along E 1st Street between Central Avenue and State Street. Retail businesses and offices are in this block. A walk along the street will allow you to see unique architectural details, like the Art Deco tile of the 1928 Latonia Theater and the symbolism in the Masonic Hall building. The mural on the east side wall of the Famoore's Building is called “Oil City, Being Completed” by artist Bernie Wilke of Pittsburgh.
Latonia Theater
The opulent Latonia Theater on the city’s South Side was constructed by the L.O. Bouquin Co. of Oil City. It opened March 4, 1929, to coincide with President Herbert Hoover inauguration. It had a capacity of 1,460 patrons, seating that included a 500-seat balcony.A 600-plus pipe Wurlitzer organ was in place and ten-foot-high gilded peacocks of cast plaster were installed in front of the second tier organ openings. Outside, hundreds of electric bulbs blared The Latonia on the front brick wall. The front entrance boasted a red Levanto marble ticket booth.In the baby boomers’ era, the Latonia regularly featured Pot of Silver drawings on mid-week matinees and contests for kids to pull out a fistful of dimes from a fishbowl on stage.The theater closed in 1970 and was converted to a furniture store two years later by a private business.Sources: Hidden Heritage,
Saint Stephen's Roman Catholic Church
Saint Stephen's Roman Catholic Church was constructed in 1906 as the community outgrew the first parish of Saint Joseph's (a stop on the North Side Tour). This Mission style, stone building was designed by William P. Ginther, who designed churches in Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Oil City History Mural
Oil history mural (1998 student project), updated signs by Sign Designery (hand-painting of signs) and Caldwell Signage Solutions (materials, removal/installation) completed in 2018
Hub of Oildom Mural
“The Hub of Oildom,” by artist Michael Allison installed in 2021
