Oil Region National Heritage Area is a federally designated

National Heritage Area In the United States, a National Heritage Area (NHA) is a site designated by Act of Congress, intended to encourage historic preservation of the area and an appreciation of the history and heritage of the site. There are currently 62 NHAs, some ...

in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The national heritage area commemorates and promotes the region surrounding

Edwin Drake Edwin Laurentine Drake (March 29, 1819 – November 9, 1880), also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil. Early life Edwin Drake was born in Greenville, New York on March 2 ...

's oil well of 1859 near Titusville, which gave rise to the modern oil industry. The national heritage area includes all of Venango County and a portion of

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford Count ...

, including Titusville and Oil Creek Township, in and around the Oil Creek valley. The Oil Region National Heritage Area was established by Public Law 108-447 in 2004. It is administered by the Oil Region Alliance. The

Drake Well Museum The Drake Well Museum and Park is a museum that interprets the birth of the American oil industry in 1859 by "Colonel" Edwin Drake along the banks of Oil Creek in Cherrytree Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The museu ...

and

Oil Creek State Park Oil Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 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 ...

are located in this region

References

External links

Oil Regional National Heritage Area official website
{{coord, 41.43306, -79.70756, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title National Heritage Areas of the United States 2004 establishments in Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 2004 Protected areas of Venango County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Crawford County, Pennsylvania