Venango County, Pennsylvania

Venango County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,454. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1805. The county is part of the Northwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

Venango County comprises the Oil City, PA micropolitan statistical area. It is part of the Pittsburgh and Erie media markets (with Erie channels available to Comcast subscribers in the area).

History

Venango County was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming Counties. The name "Venango" is derived from the Native American name of the region, ''Onenge'', meaning ''Otter.'' This was corrupted in English as the ''Venango River''. The settlement at its mouth was likewise called ''Venango,'' which since March 3, 1871, has been the South Side of Oil City. 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. (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.

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.

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 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 Venango County is commemorated 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. Venango County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book '' American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America''.

French Creek is formed near French Creek, New York and extends for a length of with a drainage area of . 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, New York.

Adjacent counties

* Crawford County (northwest)
* Warren County (north)
* Forest County (northeast)
* Clarion County (east)
* Butler County (south)
* Mercer County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,565 people, 22,747 households, and 15,922 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 26,904 housing units at an average density of . 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. 43.9% English or Welsh, 12.5% were of German, 11.1% American, 9.9% Irish, 8.3% Scotch-Irish, 2.8% Dutch, 2.1% Italian, and 1.6% French ancestry.

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.

2020 census

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Venango County as the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census the micropolitan area ranked 9th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 182nd most populous in the United States with a population of 54,984.

Law and government

Venango County has long been predominantly Republican. Only twice since the Civil War has the county selected a Democratic presidential candidate, and only Lyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide has gained an absolute majority for the Democratic Party. In 1984, Venango County actually voted fractionally more Democratic than the nation at-large due to hostility towards Reaganomics in industrial districts, and in the 1992 and 1996 elections it came within two points and one point, respectively of voting for Democrat Bill Clinton, but by 2016 Donald Trump had gained 68.1 percent to Hillary Clinton's 26.8 percent – figures which were long typical of the county.

Voter Registration

As of February 21, 2022, there are 32,319 registered voters in Venango County

* Democratic: 9,181 (28.41%)
* Republican: 18,864 (58.37%)
* Independent: 2,868 (8.87%)
* Third Party: 1,406 (4.35%)

County commissioners

* Samuel H. Breene (Republican)
* Ken Bryan (Republican)
* Albert Abramovic (Democrat)

State Senate

* Scott Hutchinson, Republican, Pennsylvania Senate, District 21

State House of Representatives

* Lee James, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 64

United States House of Representatives

* G.T. Thompson, Republican, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
* Mike Kelly, Republican, Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District

United States Senate

* John Fetterman, Democrat
* Dave McCormick, Republican

Economy

Major employers

* Joy Mining Machinery
* Pennzoil
* Quaker State
* UPMC Northwest
* Komatsu
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.

Education

Public school districts include:
* Cranberry Area School District
* Franklin Area School District
* Oil City Area School District
* Valley Grove School District
These public school districts are only partially in Venango County:
* Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District
* Forest Area School District
* Penncrest School District
* Titusville Area School District

Colleges and universities:
* Clarion University, Venango Campus (closed 2024)
* Dubois Business College (closed 2016)
* Penn State University Venango County Co-Op Extension

Transportation

Airport

* Venango Regional Airport

Major highways

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Recreation

Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests

* Oil Creek State Park
* Cornplanter State Forest
* Clear Creek State Forest

Attractions and tourism

* DeBence Antique Music World
* Oil Region Astronomical Observatory
* Franklin Silver Cornet Band
* Oil Valley Film Festival

Franklin Public Library
The Franklin Public Library was founded in 1894 and has had several homes, although its current location on Twelfth Street in Franklin, Venango County, PA has been its home since 1921. The original structure on Twelfth Street was built in 1849 as a residence and required extensive renovations in 1921 to make it suitable for library use.

Communities

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:

Cities

* Franklin (county seat)
* Oil City

Boroughs

* Barkeyville
* Clintonville
* Cooperstown
* Emlenton (partly in Clarion County)
* Pleasantville
* Polk
* Rouseville
* Sugarcreek
* Utica

Townships

* Allegheny
* Canal
* Cherrytree
* Clinton
* Cornplanter
* Cranberry
* French Creek
* Irwin
* Jackson
* Mineral
* Oakland
* Oil Creek
* Pinegrove
* Plum
* President
* Richland
* Rockland
* Sandycreek
* Scrubgrass
* Victory

Census-designated places

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.

* Hannasville
* Hasson Heights
* Kennerdell
* Seneca
* Woodland Heights

Unincorporated communities

* Bredinsburg
* Cranberry
* Dempseytown
* Fertigs
* Petroleum Center
* Raymilton
* Siverly
* Venus

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Venango County.

† ''county seat''

Notable people

* Orrin Dubbs Bleakley
* Cornplanter
* William Holmes Crosby Jr.
* Hildegarde Dolson
* Frank Evans
* Gabby Gabreski
* Leon H. Gavin
* Alexander Hays
* Judge Robert Lamberton
* Ted Marchibroda
* Jesse L. Reno
* George C. Rickards
* Henry H. Rogers
* Joseph Sibley
* Peter Moore Speer
* Ida M. Tarbell
* John Wesley Van Dyke

See also

* Oil Creek Library District
* Oil Region

Notes

References

External links

Official county website

{{Authority control

1800 establishments in Pennsylvania
Populated places established in 1800