Pithole

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PITHOLE CITY
* Oil developments were begun in this area in 1864 and it became a boom town only to be reduced to a small village by 1876.
* Incorporated as a borough 30 Nov 1865
* At least 3 churches:
Methodist Episcopal - March 1866
Catholic Church - Jan 1866
Presbyterian Church
* Had the third largest postoffice in the state - opened 27 July 1865 with S.S. Hill as Postmaster; it is reported that the first mail dispatched contianed one thousand letters and the fourth dispatch had more than four thousand; before the end of the first month, the daily mail exceeded ten thousand letters.
* By 1868 the newspaper office was removed to Petroleum Center, the railroad was abandoned and some of the more costly buildings were rebuilt at other locations.
* By abt. 1889, of the important buildings of the area, only the Methodist Church remained.
* Some of the early oil wells were:
* *Frazier well on the Holmden farm - flowed on 8 Jan 1865 at 250 barrels a day
United States or Frazier well 1865
The completion of this Wildcat Well in January 1865 started the stampede to Pithole Creek
* *Twin wells
* *No. 77 - struck by E. Eeshler
* *No. 19 - the Grant well
* *No. 37 - Robinson & Co.
* *No. 54 - Pool, Perry & Co.
* *No. 47 - Pool, Perry & Co.
* *No. 43 - United States Petroleum Co. - took fire on the 2nd of Aug. and consumed 27 wells and rigs, thirteen thousand barrels of oil - total loss of abt. $135,000.
* Stores, hotels & restaurants were quickly established, some of which were:
* *Danforth House

The Danforth House 1965
It was built on a lot leased for $14,000. and later sold for $16.
* *United States Hotel
* *Buckley House
* *Sherman House
* *Tremont House - destroyed by fire Feb 1866
* *Northeast Hotel
* *St. James Hotel
* *American Hotel
* *Eckert House
* *Seneca Hotel
* *Lincoln Hotel
* *Bonta House - built by James W. Bonta in 1865; cost $60,000
* *Pomeroy House
* *Florence Restaurant - keeper, Emma Fenton
* *Bath House - on Holmden St. - (for bathing) - W.R. Crumr, proprietor
* *Venango Saloon
* *Chase House - built in 1865; cost $100,000 by H. Patchen & S.H. Allen and soon after sold to G.K. Chase
* *Hogan's Lager Beer Saloon
* *Ice Cream Saloon
* *Washington Restaurant
* *Dutch John's Lager Beer Saloon
* *Hill's Restaurant
* *Heenan Cottage - 136 Holmden St.
Sources:
Venango County Panorama, A Salute to Its People ! A Pictorial History of Venango County, Pennsylvania; published by The Venango County Historical Society, 1983; pps. 156 - 159. This publication includes photos of: the Thomas Holmden House; the Bonta House; numerous derricks; the United States Petroluem Co. office; a deserted drugstore in 1886; early transportation / stage coach; the Chase House; storage tanks along Oil Creek.
History of Venango County Pennsylvania, Its Past and Present , Chicago, IL; Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers; 1890; pp. 654 - 660
Early Days of Oil by Paul Giddens
Contributor
Sheila Helser
Sheila's Corner