Stories from the archives of Benson Memorial Library
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.
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!
May is Jewish American History Month! Did you know that Titusville was home to many Jewish people who either immigrated to America or moved from other towns to try their luck during the oil boom? This month, we've decided to highlight Titusville's interesting Jewish history through the B'nai Zion and B'nai Gemiluth Chesed Congregations.
Can you remember the sound of the hammer ringing out across town? How about the clanks and clangs of the presses or the scrape of the cold chisel? The plumes of steam and smoke rising into the sky on the east side of Titusville? These were all hallmark signs of one of Titusville's most lucrative non-oil industries: steel-making.
Other than the famous Ida Tarbell, can you name a single woman of importance in Oil Region history? If your answer is no, I assure you it is not because there weren't any! Today I want to highlight two remarkable women whose extraordinary lives and accomplishments in the Oil Region should be remembered and lauded.
