Pithole or Pithole City

Pithole or Pithole City, Pennsylvania is a ghost town located in Venango County, near Oil Creek State Park. It was the largest oil boomtown in America due to the numerous oil strikes in the area.

Six years after Edwin L. Drake first struck oil at Drake Well in Titusville, PA, Pithole was settled in January 1865 when oil was discovered at the Frazier Well (also called the US Well) along Pithole Creek. This well was producing 250 barrels a day. Two weeks later, oil was discovered at the nearby Twin Wells and by April 1865, 3,000 Teamsters were employed at Pithole.

In May 1865, Colonel A.P. Duncan and George C. Prather purchased the land around Pithole from the widow of Thomas Holmden for $25,000. They divided the land into 500 lots, which they leased to businesses and individuals coming to work in the thriving oil industry. With the discovery of the Homestead Well in June, the population in Pithole rapidly grew.

Oil was discovered at Grant Well and Pool Well in August, and by September, Pithole was home to 15,000 people. There were 57 hotels, The Pithole Daily Record newspaper, and the third busiest post office in Pennsylvania, handling more than 5,000 pieces of mail a day. By October, oil production around Pithole was estimated at 6,000 barrels a day.

The borough was incorporated in December 1865. The Pithole Valley Railroad was completed, a reservoir and water pipe system was laid out, and two hotels Danforth House and the Bonita House opened. In February of 1866, the town still welcomed prizefighter Ben Hogan to the Athenaeum Theater, dedicated a Methodist church in May, and organized the men's social club, the Swordsman Club in June of 1866, but the town was already declining. From its peak population of 15,000 people in September 1865, population had already fallen to 4,000 by January 1866.

Oil was running out, the hastily constructed wooden buildings were falling victim to fire, and new wells were being discovered at nearby areas. Major fires in April and August of 1866 burning several city blocks and 27 wells brought the population down even further to just 2,000 people by December 1866. After another fire destroyed 20 buildings in 1868, the newspaper was relocated to Petroleum Center, PA and by 1870; the population had fallen to 281.

In 1877, Pithole’ s charter as a borough was officially annulled. The city was sold to Venango County commissioners for $4.37 in 1879.

In 1961, owner James Stevenson gave the site to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Today, only a few cellars and mowed paths mark the buildings and former streets of Pithole. A visitor's center, with a small museum, city directories, and a scale model of Pithole at its peak, is open from June through Labor Day. The site is maintained by the Drake Well Museum.

On August 5, 2007 paranormal investigations were conducted at Pithole under the supervision of the curious eyes of the self-appointed Mayor of Pithole who eagerly shared his stories and tales of days gone by. Mr. Fred Sliter was most accommodating to our team. Although many photographs were taken, investigator Robb Griffin was the only investigator to capture phenomena on film.

Investigation Photos

Photos below from Venango County Historical Society, Venango County PA