One thing about the holidays that almost everyone loves is lights. Today, we will think about two of them - one from Christmas past and one from Christmas present: Millers' Display and the Lights at Burgess.
Author: Jessica Hilburn
My name is Jess and I am the administrator & main author of the NWPA Stories blog as the library assistant & social media specialist at Benson Memorial Library in the small northwestern Pennsylvania town of Titusville. I am also the webmaster of the Hydetown Boro government website and social media and an administrator and editor of the Ridgway Cemetery website and database. I have a Masters in History from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. I explore obituaries, local history, interesting news from yesteryear, and the exciting past of Northwestern Pennsylvania!
Titusville Heroes: Cleo J. Ross & Bruce Shorts
2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice between the Allies and Germany that ended the bloodshed of World War I. In commemoration of this event, we want to share with you the history of the namesakes of our local veterans organizations: Cleo J. Ross and Bruce Shorts.
Haunted Titusville
Through houses, we find families. Lost to history, but waiting to be found, these families have much to tell us about the homes in which we live. Residents have reported spooky occurrences and feelings that just aren't quite right. Ready to explore haunted Titusville with us? Read on!
The Creation of Scheide Park
How many times have you strolled through the vendors at the Oil Festival? Reclined in a chair while taking in the sweet sounds of a concert in the park? Honored veterans at the memorial on the corner of Washington and Central and appreciated what a great place we live in? Chances are, you have done one or more of these things and enjoyed the green space in Scheide Park. But, do you know how Scheide Park came to be? Read on to find out!
The Colonel Drake Hotel
The year is 1985. It's a summer evening in Titusville, Pennsylvania and you are dancing the night away under the light flares of the disco ball while the DJ plays "Raspberry Beret", "We Built this City", and other chart-toppers that please the crowd. The building you are in houses a great deal of history tracing all the way back to the oil boom era and in a mere thirteen years will no longer exist. Where are you? Welcome to the Colonel Drake Hotel.
732 East Main Street: The Iredell-McGraw-Howe House History
When the City of Titusville bought the home at 732 East Main Street in June 2018, the controversy was immediate. Regardless of one's feelings about the purchase of the property or the plans for its future, few likely know the full extent of the home's history, its previous residents, and its place in Titusville's past.
Fieldmore Springs: The Most Beautiful Spot in the Alleghenies
While most people flocked to Titusville due to oil, there was also a little known gusher of another valuable kind just east of Titusville up the hill. In 1906, Dr. S.N. Burchfield capitalized on this other valuable substance that was springing out of the earth. What was it, you ask? Water!
