Stroll along grassy trails and listen for the whispers of history. For an oh-so-brief period, the grassy area was once home to one of the fastest growing towns in Pennsylvania. Today, it is a ghost town with visitors passing through to imagine what once was and to visit the onsite Visitors Center. Have you heard the story of this legendary Pennsylvania ghost town?
Pithole City burst onto the scene as a brand new town in Venango County in 1865 and would quickly become one of the most successful, busiest towns in Pennsylvania. But, the happy story would be short lived.
Facebook/Historic Pithole City
The Frazier Well, the first well drilled near Pithole Creek, hit oil on January 7, 1865, signalling the start of an oil boom.
Wikipedia/Public Domain
An estimated 250 barrels of oil a day, sold at $8 a gallon, came from that first oil well. But, that was just the beginning.
Flickr/Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
The Grant Well, which first struck oil on August 2, 1865, put out more than 700 barrels of oil each day.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
As a result of the prospering oil industry, the boom town quickly drew 15,000 residents.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Businesses filled Holmden Street, the town’s main street. And, Pithole started the area’s first newspaper, The Pithole Daily Record.
Wikipedia/Public Domain
Not long after the Grant Well hit oil, the Pool Well hit pay dirt, producing more than 1,000 barrels of oil each day. Despite all of the oil that was produced, Pithole faced insurmountable obstacles.
Flickr/Andy Arthur
Fire ripped through the town an estimated 17 times, resulting in millions of dollars in damage. At the same time, oil workers left Pithole to help build oil pipelines in other areas as the town’s oil wells began to dry.
Flickr/Andy Arthur
By the end of 1866, Pithole’s fate appeared sealed. The once vibrant town of 15,000 now languished with only 2,000 residents as the town’s oil wells produced well below 1,000 barrels a day.
Flickr/Mark Plummer
A marker that laments “Established in 1865, a ghost town by 1868” now greets visitors to the sprawling spot where PIthole once stood.
Flickr/Andy Arthur
Uncover the history of the ghost town, which once housed the third busiest post office in the state, through strategically placed markers.
Flickr/Andy Arthur
Stop by the Pithole Visitors Center and view a model of Pithole in its heyday. Guests can also join a guided tour that includes replicas of the A.J. Christy Drugstore and the Post Office.
Wikipedia/David Jones
The Pithole Visitors Center welcomes guests from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in June, July, and August.
Facebook/Historic Pithole City
Address
Facebook/Historic Pithole City
Wikipedia/Public Domain
Flickr/Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Flickr/Andy Arthur
Flickr/Mark Plummer
Flickr/Andy Arthur
Wikipedia/David Jones
Pithole Visitors Center 14118 Pithole Road Pleasantville, PA 16341 814-589-7912 Click here for more information.
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