Venango County, Pennsylvania
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Image:Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Venango County.png
Venango County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population is 57,565. Its county seat is Franklin6.
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History
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, Pennsylvania. 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.
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.
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.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,769 km² (683 mi²). 1,748 km² (675 mi²) of it is land and 21 km² (8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.17% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 57,565 people, 22,747 households, and 15,922 families residing in the county. The population density is 33/km² (85/mi²). There are 26,904 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (40/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 22,747 households out of which 30.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% are married couples living together, 9.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% are non-families. 26.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.50% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 2.93.
In the county, the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.10 males.
Cities and towns
- Allegheny Township
- Barkeyville
- Canal Township
- Cherrytree Township
- Clinton Township
- Clintonville
- Cooperstown
- Cornplanter Township
- Cranberry Township
- Franklin
- Frenchcreek Township
- Hasson Heights
- Irwin Township
- Jackson Township
- Mineral Township
- Oakland Township
- Oil City
- Oilcreek Township
- Pinegrove Township
- Pleasantville
- Plum Township
- Polk
- President Township
- Richland Township
- Rockland Township
- Rouseville
- Sandycreek Township
- Scrubgrass Township
- Seneca
- Sugarcreek
- Utica
- Victory Township
- Woodland Heights
