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| Venango County, Pennsylvania | |
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 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Seat | Franklin |
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| Largest city | Oil City |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
683 sq mi (1,769 km²) 8 sq mi (21 km²), 1.17% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
57,565 85/sq mi (33/km²) |
| Founded | March 12, 1800 |
 Venango County
Courthouse
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| Website | www.co.venango.pa.us |
Venango County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the population was 57,565. Its county seat is Franklin[1].
Contents |
Venango County was created on March 12, 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. The origination of the name "Venango" comes from as it was known to Native Americans of the region as Onenge, meaning Otter. This was corrupted into English as the Venango River[2]. The settlement at its mouth was likewise called Venango, and is the site of present-day Franklin, Pennsylvania.
Venango County was home to an oil boom in the years following discovery of natural oil (petroleum) in the mid 1850s.
George Bissell, a Yale University Chemistry professor, and Edwin L. Drake, a former railroad conductor, made the first successful use of a drilling rig on August 28, 1859 near Titusville, Pennsylvania. (Although Titusville is in Crawford County, the first oil well was drilled outside of town, less than a mile inside of the Venango County boundary.) This single well soon exceeded the entire cumulative oil output of Europe since the 1650s. Within weeks oil derricks were erected all over the area. Other oil boom towns located in Venango County included Franklin, Oil City, and the now defunct Pithole City The principal product of the oil was kerosene.
McClintocksville was a small community in Cornplanter Township in Venango County. In 1861, it was the location of Wamsutta Oil Refinery, the first business venture of Henry Huttleston Rogers, who became a leading United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. Rogers and his young wife Abbie Palmer Gifford Rogers lived in a one room shack there along Oil Creek for several years beginning in 1862.
Shortly later, Rogers met oil pioneer Charles Pratt who purchased the entire output of the tiny Wamsutta Oil Refinery. In 1867, Rogers joined Pratt in forming Charles Pratt and Company, which was purchased by Standard Oil in 1874. Rogers became one of the key men in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust.
After joining Standard Oil, Rogers invested heavily in various industries, including copper, steel, mining, and railways. The Virginian Railway is widely considered his final life's achievement. Rogers amassed a great fortune, estimated at over $100 million, and became one of the wealthiest men in the United States. He was also a generous philanthropist, providing many public works for his hometown of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and financially assisting helping such notables as Mark Twain, Helen Keller, and Dr. Booker T. Washington.
Perhaps in one of history's ironies, another resident of Venango County about the same time as Henry and Abbie Rogers was a little girl named Ida M. Tarbell, whose father was an independent producer whose small business was ruined by the South Improvement Company scheme of 1871 and the conglomerate which became Standard Oil. Introduced to each other in 1902 by their mutual friend Mark Twain, Tarbell who had become an investigative journalist and Rogers, who knew of her work, shared meetings and information over a two year period which led to her epoch work, The History of the Standard Oil Company, published in 1904, which many historians feel helped fuel public sentiment against the giant company and helped lead to the court-ordered break-up of it in 1911.
The oil heritage of Venanago County is remembered by a Pennsylvania State Park and many heritage sites which help tell the story and memorialize the people of the oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 683 square miles (1,769 km²), of which, 675 square miles (1,748 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (21 km²) of it (1.17%) is water.
French Creek is formed near French Creek, New York and extends for a length of 117 miles (188 km) with a drainage area of 1,270 square miles (3,289 km²). It joins the Allegheny River near Franklin, Pennsylvania. The watershed area includes parts of Erie, Crawford, Venango, and Mercer Counties in Pennsylvania as well as Chautauqua County, New York.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 57,565 people, 22,747 households, and 15,922 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile (33/km²). There were 26,904 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64% White, 1.09% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.0% were of German, 12.7% Irish, 12.2% American, 8.6% English, 5.7% Polish and 5.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 22,747 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
In the 2004 United States presidential election, voters registered in Venango County cast 9,024 (38.1%) ballots for Kerry, 14,472 (61.2%) for Bush, and 163 (0.7%) for "other".
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Venango County:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
Pennzoil and Quaker State left the Venango area for Texas. After leaving the area they merged and stopped refining oil. They now concentrate on retail oil and automotive additives produced for them by other companies. As of 2007, the two companies only exist as brand names after the company disappeared because of successive mergers.
With global crude oil prices touching US $100 in early 2008, long-dormant interest reawakened in Venango County's remaining oil reserves, 70% undrilled by one estimate. High prices make less accessible oil deposits worth extracting. For instance, a Canadian firm proposed drilling several large mines and allowing oil to flood the tunnels.[4]
Other major employers are Government (at all levels) and Walmart.
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce
These public school districts are only partially in Venango County:
Venango Area Chamber of Commerce
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Coordinates: 41°24′N 79°46′W / 41.40°N 79.76°W
| Venango County, Pennsylvania view Community messages | |
|---|---|
| Articles, images | Archeology • Farms • Landmarks • Migrations and settlements • Photo gallery • Prehistory • Timeline |
| People | Births • Deaths • Families • Marriages • Residents |
| Daily life | Before 1700 • 1700-1749 • 1750-1799 • 1800-1819 • 1820-1839 • 1840-1859 • 1860-1879 • 1880-1899 • 1900-1919 • 1920-1939 • 1940-1959 • 1960-1979 • 1980-1999 • 2000-present |
| Research, including queries |
Venango County, Pennsylvania links • Birth records • Businesses • Cemeteries • Census data • Church records • Court records • Death records • Directories • Landowner records • Marriage records • Maps • Military records • Obituaries • Probate records • Queries |
| Venango County, Pennsylvania | |
 |
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| Map | |
| File:Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Venango County.png Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
|
 Pennsylvania's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 12, 1800 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Franklin |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²) sq mi ( km²), 1.17% |
| wikipedia:Population - (2000) - Density |
57565 |
| Website: www.co.venango.pa.us | |
Venango County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the population was 57,565. Its county seat is Franklin6.
Contents |
Venango County was created on March 12, 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. The origination of the name "Venago" comes from as it was known to Native Americans of the region as Onenge, meaning Otter. This was corrupted into English as the Venango River[1]. The settlement at its mouth was likewise called Venango, and is the site of present-day Franklin.
Venango County was home to an oil boom in the years following discovery of natural oil (petroleum) in the mid 1850s.
George Bissell, a Yale University Chemistry professor, and Edwin L. Drake, a former railroad conductor, made the first successful use of a drilling rig on August 28, 1859 at Titusville. This single well soon exceeded the entire cumulative oil output of Europe since the 1650s. The principal product of the oil was kerosene.
McClintocksville was a small community in Cornplanter Township in Venango County. In 1861, it was the location of Wamsutta Oil Refinery, the first business venture of Henry Huttleston Rogers, who became a leading United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. Rogers and his young wife Abbie Palmer Gifford Rogers lived in a one room shack there along Oil Creek for several years beginning in 1862.
Shortly later, Rogers met oil pioneer Charles Pratt who purchased the entire output of the tiny Wamsutta Oil Refinery. In 1867, Rogers joined Pratt in forming Charles Pratt and Company, which was purchased by Standard Oil in 1874. Rogers became one of the key men in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust.
After joining Standard Oil, Rogers invested heavily in various industries, including copper, steel, mining, and railways. The Virginian Railway is widely considered his final life's achievement. Rogers amassed a great fortune, estimated at over $100 million, and became one of the wealthiest men in the United States. He was also a generous philanthropist, providing many public works for his hometown of Fairhaven and financially assisting helping such notables as Mark Twain, Helen Keller, and Dr. Booker T. Washington.
Perhaps in one of history's ironies, another resident of Venango County about the same time as Henry and Abbie Rogers was a little girl named Ida M. Tarbell, whose father was an independent producer whose small business was ruined by the South Improvement Company scheme of 1871 and the conglomerate which became Standard Oil. Introduced to each other in 1902 by their mutual friend Mark Twain, Tarbell who had become an investigative journalist and Rogers, who knew of her work, shared meetings and information over a two year period which led to her epoch work, The History of the Standard Oil Company, published in 1904, which many historians feel helped fuel public sentiment against the giant company and helped lead to the court-ordered break-up of it in 1911.
The oil heritage of Venanago County is remembered by a Pennsylvania State Park and many heritage sites which help tell the story and memorialize the people of the oil boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,769 km² (683 sq mi). 1,748 km² (675 sq mi) of it is land and 21 km² (8 sq mi) of it (1.17%) is water.
French Creek is formed near French Creek and extends for a length of 117 miles (188 km) with a drainage area of 1,270 square miles (3,289 km²). It joins the Allegheny River near Franklin. The watershed area includes parts of Erie, Crawford, Venango, and Mercer Counties in Pennsylvania as well as Chautauqua County.
As of the census² of 2000, there were 57,565 people, 22,747 households, and 15,922 families residing in the county. The population density was 33/km² (85/sq mi). There were 26,904 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (40/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64% White, 1.09% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 22,747 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
In the 2004 United States presidential election, voters registered in Venango County cast 9,024 (38.1%) ballots for Kerry, 14,472 (61.2%) for Bush, and 163 (0.7%) for "other".
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Venango County:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
Pennzoil and Quaker State left the Venango area for Texas. After leaving the area they merged and stopped refining oil. The now concentrate on retail oil and automotive additives produced for them by other companies. The two companies now (2007) only exist as brand names after the conmpany disappeared because of successive mergers. Other major employers are Government (at all levels) and Walmart.
These public school districts are only partially in Venango County:
| Municipalities and communities of Venango County, Pennsylvania  , Pennsylvania |
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|---|---|---|
| County seat: Franklin, Pennsylvania |
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| Cities |
Franklin | Oil City |
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| Boroughs |
Barkeyville | Clintonville | Cooperstown | Emlenton | Pleasantville | Polk | Rouseville | Sugarcreek | Utica |
|
| Townships |
Allegheny | Canal | Cherrytree | Clinton | Cornplanter | Cranberry | Frenchcreek | Irwin | Jackson | Mineral | Oakland | Oilcreek | Pinegrove | Plum Township | President | Richland | Rockland | Sandycreek | Scrubgrass | Victory |
|
| Communities and CDPs |
Hasson Heights | Seneca | Woodland Heights |
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| Features of Venango County, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| People |
Jennifer Antkowiak | Charles Almanzo Babcock | Orrin Dubbs Bleakley | John Wilkes Booth | Mai Rogers Coe | Cornplanter | William Holmes Crosby | Charles Vernon Culver | Hildegarde Dolson | William L. Durkin | Albert Gallatin Egbert | Frank Evans | Gabby Gabreski | John Galbraith | Leon H. Gavin | Calvin Willard Gilfillan | Alexander Hays | Samuel Hays | Stevin Hoover | John W. Howe | Shauna Howe | Willis James Hulings | Chris Kirkpatrick | Johnny Appleseed | Kathryn Kuhlman | Rolland Lawrence | Ted Marchibroda | Alexander McDowell | James H. Osmer | Spencer Peterson | Arnold Plumer | Jesse L. Reno | Abbie G. Rogers | Henry H. Rogers | Milton William Shreve | Joseph C. Sibley | Dave Smalley | Peter Moore Speer | Tubby Spencer | Ida M. Tarbell | John Wesley Van Dyke | Howard Zahniser |
| Geography |
Allegheny River | Clear Creek State Forest | Cornplanter State Forest | East Sandy Creek | French Creek | Oil Creek | Red Snake Creek |
| History |
Drake's Well | Fort Franklin | Fort Le Boeuf | Fort Machault | Fort Venango | McClintocksville | Petroleum industry | Pithole | Pontiac's Rebellion | USS Venango | Wamsutta Oil Refinery | Registered historic places |
| Industry |
Joy Mining Machinery | Pennzoil | Quaker State |
| Attractions |
Applefest | Custaloga Town | DeBence Antique Music World | Drake Well Museum | Oil Creek State Park | Oil Region Astronomical Observatory | Franklin Silver Cornet Band | Venango Regional Airport |
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| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Harrisburg (capital) |
| Cities | |
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Venango County, Pennsylvania. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |
| County names | Venango County, Pennsylvania + |
| County of country | United States + |
| County of subdivision1 | Pennsylvania + |
| Short name | Venango County + |
   | Venango County Government Home Page - New Page 2 |
| | As Oil Prices Soar, Prospectors Return to Pennsylvania - Oil companies - Feb 25 | Energy Bulletin |
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