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STATE HISTORICAL MARKERS
~ VENANGO COUNTY ~

FIRST OIL PIPELINE - This marker was erected Nov. 15, 1954 and is located on PA 227, four miles southwest of Pleasantville.

Constructed in the fall of 1865. Following a straight course about 5 miles in length, it transported oil by pumps from Pithole to a railhead at Miller Farm, thus revolutionizing the transportation of petroleum. Dug up when Pithole wells were pumped dry. Trench is visible here and at points along the course of the old pipeline.

Samuel Van Syckle arrived from New Jersey in the fall of 1864. Oil producers had already thought of a pipeline as a means of transporting oil, but had been unsuccessful in their attempts. By October of 1865, Van Syckle had a successful two-inch line operating that carried 80 barrels of oil an hour. Late in 1865, W. H. Abbott and Henry Harley also had pipelines in the area. When Van Syckle met with financial losses, the Titusville bank took control of his pipeline. Abbott and Harley purchased the equipment and joined it with their lines and established a large pipeline station at Miller Farm.

Donated by Penny Haylett Minnick
pictures Penny Haylett Minnick