Venango County was created on March 12, 1800, from parts ofAllegheny andLycoming Counties. The name "Venango" is derived from the Native American name of the region,Onenge, meaningOtter. This was corrupted in English as theVenango River.[4] The settlement at its mouth was likewise calledVenango, which since March 3, 1871, has been the South Side ofOil City. Venango County was home to anoil boom in the years following discovery of natural oil (petroleum) in the mid-1850s.
George Bissell, aYale University chemistry professor, andEdwin L. Drake, a former railroad conductor, made the first successful use of a drilling rig on August 28, 1859, nearTitusville. (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 defunctPithole City. The principal product of the oil waskerosene.
After joining Standard Oil, Rogers invested heavily in various industries, including copper, steel, mining, and railways. TheVirginian 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 ofFairhaven, Massachusetts, and financially assisting helping such notables asMark Twain,Helen Keller, andDr. Booker T. Washington.
A little girl namedIda M. Tarbell, whose father was an independent producer whose small business was ruined by theSouth 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 aninvestigative 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.
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2017[13]
Age pyramid for Venango County based on census 2000 data
As of the census[14] 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 people/km2). There were 26,904 housing units at an average density of 40 units per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64%White, 1.09%Black orAfrican American, 0.18%Native American, 0.23%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.17% fromother races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 43.9% English orWelsh, 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.
Venango County has long been predominantly Republican. Only twice since theCivil War has the county selected a Democratic presidential candidate, and onlyLyndon 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 towardsReaganomics in industrial districts, and in the 1992 and 1996 elections it came within two points and one point, respectively of voting for DemocratBill Clinton, but by 2016Donald Trump had gained 68.1 percent toHillary Clinton's 26.8 percent – figures which were long typical of the county.
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.[22]
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.
Venango County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue)
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 theU.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Otherunincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
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