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Photo: Jason Pratt, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Oil Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 6,250 acres (2,529 ha) in Cherrytree, Cornplanter and Oil Creek Townships, Venango County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is adjacent to Drake Well Museum, the site of the first successful commercial oil well in the United States, that was drilled under the direction of Colonel Edwin Drake. Oil Creek State Park follows Oil Creek, between Titusville and Oil City, and is on Pennsylvania Route 8. While the creek is the park's main recreational attraction, it also contains the sites of the first oil boomtown and much of Pennsylvania's original oil industry. The park contains a museum, tableaux, and trails to help visitors understand the history of the oil industry there, and an excursion train.
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The site where Colonel Edwin Drake struck oil on the banks of Oil Creek in 1859. He invented the first oil drill, and the museum grounds feature a replica of his drill. At the end opposite the museum building you'll find ancient pits dug by the Native Americans to scoop oil, which they used for medicines and ointments. Drake well includes a museum, outdoor exhibits, picnic area, and several hiking trails. A 9-mile bike trail connects with the Oil City side of Oil Creek State Park. It is a beautiful bike ride on a paved trail. The museum is open year round, but the outdoor exhibits are only open from May through October.
Includes 472 contributing buildings in the central business district and surrounding residential areas.