Drake Day set for Sunday at Well Museum
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TITUSVILLE - Drake Well Museum and Park will host its annual Drake Day celebration on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., commemorating Edwin Drake's famous oil strike in Titusville in August 1859.
With America turning 250 years old this year, Drake Day will especially focus on the importance of the early oil industry in northwestern Pennsylvania to America's history - and the world at large.
The event will feature living history activities and historic trade demonstrations, reminiscent of the Civil War-era which occurred simultaneously with the beginning of the oil industry. Demonstrations on some of the key trades in the Oil Region, including blacksmithing and coopering, will be presented. Reenactors from the 150th P.V.I. Bucktails based in Crawford County and the Venango Brigade musicians will also be on hand. To celebrate America250 and the impact of Pennsylvania's Oil Region on American history, there will be special reenactors portraying important figures of the early petroleum industry including Samuel Van Syckel (world's first successful pipeline), Colonel E. A. L. Roberts (Roberts Torpedo Company), Amos Densmore (Densmore Tank Cars), William "Uncle Billy" Smith (Drake's driller), Samuel Kier (father of American petroleum refining) and more!
In addition to these activities, the Museum will feature researcher and author Dr. Rasoul Sorkhabi of the Energy & Geology Institute at the University of Utah presenting his research and writings on famed oil historian, Paul H. Giddens. Giddens wrote some of the earliest modern histories of the oil industry and its beginnings in Pennsylvania; he was also the first professional curator of Drake Well Museum whose leadership made a major impact on the growth and success of the site in its early years. The presentation will be at 1 p.m. on the day of the event and is included with admission.
A full listing of all activities and programs for this year's Drake Day can be found at www.drakewell.org/events! Regular Drake Well admission fees apply for the event: $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 3 to 11, $8 for senior citizens. Members of Friends of Drake Well receive FREE admission. Admission includes entrance to Drake Well Museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as all Drake Day activities and presentations.
Located off Route 8 south of Titusville, Drake Well Museum and Park is within the Oil Region National Heritage Area as well as the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drake Well Museum and Park is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in partnership with Friends of Drake Well, Inc., a non-profit community-based organization, and is part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History® (www.PATrailsofHistory.com).