Wharfs & Steamboats

Wharfs & Steamboats

…barge business was written by Walter J. Johns in 1866. It was recounted in a June 28, 1890, newspaper column entitled “Oil City Chroniclings”. It offered, noted the author, a…

Join the Club

Join the Club

…same 1879 year that the Hopkins family was building its new mansion on the South Side, a group of local businessmen across the river were forming a new social club….

Say Cheese

Say Cheese

…The rush of men, women and families to the western Pennsylvania oil fields drew another profession to the region – photographers. The camera-wielding men found their talents were in great…

ORLA Newsletter

ORLA Newsletter The ORLA Newsletter is your guide to staying informed about what’s happening at your libraries. Subscribe today to receive a curated summary of upcoming events & programs, news,…

Parochial Schools

Parochial Schools

…in various states for the Standard’s branches. He later went to work for Standard Oil of New Jersey and also served as a partner of Laidlaw & Co., a New

Oil City Boat Club

Oil City Boat Club

Financial success and a keen interest in finding a recreational outlet prompted a group of Oil City men to organize a social club that has flourished for more than a…

Grand Spectacles

Grand Spectacles

…would build a new $550,000 building on Seneca Street. The newly organized Oil City Tank and Boiler Co. said it intended to hire 75 men for the new mill. The…

Guardians of Tradition

Guardians of Tradition

…the new glass industry in the region. The union groups included musicians, bottle workers, locomotive engineers and firemen, painters and paperhangers, railroad trainmen, building trades, carpenters and joiners, coopers, firemen/oilers,…