CANCELLED - Motorcoach to Titusville Attractions
***This event has been cancelled.***
Immersed in Music and Oil!
Join the Somerset County Historical Society as they host a motor coach trip to where it all began; Titusville, PA, the birthplace of the modern petroleum industry and the Debence Antique Music World in Franklin.
Our adventure will begin when we leave the parking lot at the Somerset Historical Center (7:00am sharp) with a primer on the fascinating history of Pennsylvania Oil. Mark Ware, former Museum Educator at Drake Oil Well and Christopher Zanoni will deliver a welcome and itinerary for the day. Actor Vincent Price plays Col. Edwin Drake in a film about Drake's endeavor as the first person to successfully drill for oil.
Our first stop will be in Franklin as we visit the Debence Antique Music World where we will see and hear a variety of music boxes, calliopes, and other musical devices from the 1850's up to the present. It is a treasure of fascinating musical machines! Some are one-of-a-kind.
Next, we will drive by McClintock's Well, the oldest continuously pumping oil well in the entire world. A special keepsake will be part of the story told here.
Next stop will be lunch from Stewart's Premier Catering at a pavilion at Drake Well Museum, followed by a guided tour of Drake Well. Bill Stumpf will provide a vivid explanation of the steam engine and show how it pumps oil from the original site. You will hear the "barker," see and witness the Central Power moving rod lines all over the site, and other machines of that era. The Visitor's Center will share stories of how oil is formed, Ida Tarbell and her fight against Standard Oil and John Rockefeller, and other fascinating aspects of that area's history.
Next stop will be Pit Hole, a once booming oil town turned ghost town, but fascinating stories of French Kate, hotel life, and life amid an oil boom are sure to capture your attention.
By now, you will be familiar with the term, "go like the devil," know all about nitroglycerin (the original fracking), and how there is a drop of oil in your everyday life.
A smile face cookie from Wilson's Bakery (the original smiley cookie) will hold you over until we stop for a quick dinner on your own before returning to Somerset.
