In 1859, Edwin L. Drake drilled an opening into the western Pennsylvania earth, forever altering the global landscape. The petroleum treasure buried underneath was oil, transforming these rugged hills into the setting of the "black gold rush." Pennsylvania's oil region was the location of America's first oil boom and was the world's leader in the development of oil production between 1859 and 1901. This collection of stories relates to the people, places and events in western Pennsylvania's Allegheny River Valley and how this scarce commodity shaped their lives. Sean K. Miller is a product of the region's first oil drillers, and he combines his professional storytelling abilities with his family history in the oil industry to produce a narrative that is both entertaining and educational.
Pennsylvania's Oil Heritage: Stories from the Headache Post
- Pages: 128
- Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
- Imprint: The History Press
- Publication Date: 29th August 2008
- State: Pennsylvania
- Illustrations Note: 100% Mono
- ISBN: 9781596294639
- Format: Paperback
- BISACs:
HISTORY / United States / General
HISTORY / United States / State & Local / Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
Sean K. Miller is a professional entertainer and performs Oil History Stories for the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry, Drake's Well Museum, the Pittsburgh Regional History Center, and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He is also regularly featured on Saturday Light Brigade, a local award winning public radio program. Miller is also member of StorySwap and Pittsburgh's Guild of Professional Storytellers. He has been a part of the Telebration Showcase and a regional teller at the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. His favorite types of tales are: Pennsylvania Folk History, Pennsylvania Oil History, and tales that are too true to believe. His Grandfather was a Pennsylvania oil driller.