The Workshop will begin at 8 a.m. and feature morning and afternoon sessions on historic preservation topics such as historic metal truss bridges in Pennsylvania, historic district guidelines, gravemarker preservation at Neilltown Church Cemetery, preservation efforts at Historic Pithole City, architectural walking tours, and much more.

Winners of the 2018 Oil Heritage Region Historic Preservation Awards will be recognized at a catered dinner which will begin at 5 pm. They are: Mr. and Mrs. James Ashbaugh of Franklin, in the category of Preservation Education/Initiative; Christ Episcopal Church in Oil City, for Preservation Stewardship; Ross Ruot and Matt Huber, for the reconstruction of the building at 112 West Spring Street in Titusville, the future home of Stonehouse Jack; Love, Inc., for Enhancement of their building at 220 West Central Avenue in Titusville; the Heritage Society of Oil City, for their work on the entrance to Hasson Park in Oil City; and Titusville Renaissance, Inc., for Preservation Education/Initiative, and in celebration of their 25th Anniversary.

Full-day registration for the Workshop and Awards, including lunch and dinner, is $40/person for Oil Region Alliance members and $50/person for non-members. High school and college students may attend the workshop sessions and lunch for $10/person. Programs with registration forms are available at www.oilregion.org and the Oil Region Alliance office at 217 Elm Street, Oil City. Registration for lunch and/or dinner is due May 10 by submission of registration forms to Jennifer Burden at Oil Region Alliance, 217 Elm Street, Oil City 16301 or at jburden@oilregion.org.

For more information about the Preservation Workshop, or the Historic Preservation Awards, please contact Ms. Burden at 814-677-3152 x 116.

A donation of $5 per person is requested. Refreshments are served.

The Oil Region Alliance owns the church which was constructed in 1842 and has been rehabilitated inside and out. It is located less than a quarter of a mile off Route 227, just 4 miles east of Pleasantville, PA. Seating is limited. Attendees are encourage to take a seat cushion or folding chair.

For more information about the Neilltown Church or the concerts that are held there, contact Toni Kresinski, Project Manager, at 814-677-3152 x 110.

The Alliance has been working with Dollar General to choose appropriate sites for new stores in the Oil Region. John Phillips, President of the Oil Region Alliance, commented “We are thrilled with the considerable investment Dollar General has committed to our region. They work hard to meet the needs of the communities they locate in and their considerable growth reflects that. With the groundbreaking in Barkeyville Borough last month and now this one in Sandycreek Township it is clear that Dollar General is helping to build the prosperity of the Oil Region.”

The public is welcome to attend the meeting and learn more about this non-profit agency that manages the assets of the federally designated Oil Region National Heritage Area and also serves as the county’s lead Economic Development Agency and lead Tourist Promotion Agency.

Sponsors are welcome for this event. Sponsors fees are $100, $200 or $300. Sponsors who pay $100 will receive a 1/4 page full-color ad in the program booklet which will be distributed at the meeting. Sponsors who pay $200 will receive a 1/2 page ad, and those who pay $300 will receive a full-page ad. Sponsor commitments are due July 21.

More information will be announced. Questions may be directed to Toni Kresinski, Project Manager, at 800-483-6264 x 110.

The winners are: Henderson Electric in Titusville; Oil Valley Real Estate Partnership in Titusville; PennDOT District 1-0, for the Rehabilitation of the Center Street Bridge in Oil City; Hyde House – Titusville YWCA; Oil Region Alliance for reconstruction of the Tarbell House; and Franklin Historic Preservation Association for restoration of the Civil War Monument in Bandstand Park in Franklin, PA.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony following a catered dinner that will conclude a day-long Preservation Workshop that will feature tours of historic homes and buildings and talks on historic preservation. The award winners may attend a tour and reception at Farmers National Bank and then the banquet as guests of the Oil Region Alliance and the sponsors of the Historic Preservation Awards. Sponsors of this year’s Awards are the Crawford County Historical Society; Friends of Drake Well; Oil City Heritage Society; Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism; Titusville Historical Society; Titusville Renaissance, Inc.; the Venango County Historical Society; and the Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry.

The awards program recognizes rehabilitation and restoration efforts undertaken during the past five years involving buildings or other structures that are at least 50 years old; individuals may be recognized for their service or commitment which promotes the preservation of the built environment. Recipients are selected from among the nominations received from the public, interested observers, and property owners.

Reservations are required for the reception and the banquet; deadline to register is May 12. To make your reservation or for more information about either the Preservation Workshop or the Historic Preservation Awards program, please contact Toni Kresinski, Project Manager, at (814) 677-3152 x 110 or tkresinski@oilregion.org.

During the 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. time slot...

Round Table – Ask the Experts

Have a question you'd like answered? Or want more information about a topic that did not come up? Perhaps you’d like to learn about Green Building? Here’s your chance to “Ask the Experts." Dr. Barry Cressman will moderate this round table. Panelists include Marilyn Black, the project manager for the rehabilitation of the Tarbell House, Guy McUmber of the Green Building Alliance, Abigail Watson-Popescu of the Titusville Planning Commission, Joe Roddy of Stiffler-McGraw and William Callahan of PHMC. It's your chance to ask questions of these "experts."

OR

"Tour of the Chase-Stewart Block"

The three adjoining nearly identical brick buildings that comprise the Chase & Stewart Block on South Franklin Street were built 1870-1871. They originally housed grocery and hardware stores, a newspaper office, John Mather’s photography studio, an oil company and real estate offices. Fast forward to 2015 and Titusville Towne Square anchors the block. Blue Canoe Brewery is on the ground floor and multiple small businesses are located on the second and third floors. Titusville Redevelopment Authority has its offices on the fourth. A catastrophic fire in March, 2015 damaged much of the building. The fourth floor was completely destroyed and will not be rebuilt. The second and third floors have been renovated. Blue Canoe Brewery, on the first floor, reopened in 2016. Carpenters Corner Antiques, in the adjoining building, was badly damaged but has been rebuilt, and received a Historic Preservation Award in 2016. Tour this historic block and see why Titusville is both proud and relieved that this iconic site was not lost forever.

OR ~

Tour two historic houses: the Chase-McKelvy House and the Scoville House. The Chase-McKelvy house at 204 West Main Street was built by Joseph L. Chase circa 1865 as a simple two-story brick house with a cupola in the Italiante style. In 1887 it was purchased by David McKelvy and he transformed it into a Queen Anne Style with projecting bays, porches and steep gables on the roof. The Scoville House at 412 West Main Street is a Gothic Revival which was built 1874-1875 by Lewis and Harriet Scoville. It was recently rehabilitated by Ross C. Ruot and Matt Huber, earning them a Historic Preservation Award. You'll tour the second floor apartment.

The Preservation Workshop is hosted by the Oil Region Alliance. A full-day of tours and talks is scheduled. Registrants may attend any single talk or tour for $10, or the entire day - including catered lunch and catered buffet dinner - for just $50. Members of the Oil Region Alliance receive a discount and pay only $40.

Reservations are due by May 12. Contact Project Manager Toni Kresinski at 800-483-6264 x 110 or tkresinski@oilregion.org for more information.

The tours and talks have been approved for Act 48; educators who attend may receive continuing education credits. The Riverview Intermediate Unit 6 charges a fee of $10 for processing the credits. More info is available at riu6.org.

"Balancing Then & Now: Painting the Exterior & Interior of Your Historic Home."
Professional color consultant Barbara Pierce of CJ Hurley Century Arts will discuss the importance of understanding architecture and proper placement of color for exterior painting. But you have to choose, because at the same time there's a tour offered...

"Tour of the Tarbell House & the Fertig House."
Melissa Mann, Site Administrator at Drake Well Museum, will lead this tour as you take a step back in time and tour the Tarbell House, located at 324 East Main Street in Titusville. The house has been completely rehabilitated. Attendees will be escorted through the first floor, reading nook, and cupola. It is nominated for a Historic Preservation Award this year.

The Fertig House is a three-story house located at 602 East Main Street. It was built by John Fertig in 1873 at a cost of $18,000. The home’s current owner, Robert Dahle, rehabilitated the home and received a Historic Preservation Award in 2011 for his efforts.

Following these two programs, a lunch catered by Joe Gionti will be served at Scheide Hall inside the First Presbyterian Church.

The full schedule for the workshop is available for download on the home page of www.oilregion.org. Or call Project Manager Toni Kresinski at 800.483.6264 x 110 for more information.

Most of us have an idea of what we would grab in a fire…important papers, cherished photographs, the quilt that an ancestor lovingly stitched for her first grandchild. Yet there are other pressing dangers to our heirlooms. Water-damage, mold, insect infestations, and deterioration are also concerns. Hear Certified Archivist Jane Ingold talk about the proper care, handling, and storage of your keepsakes, and steps to take when the worst happens. "Keeping Your Keepsakes" will be presented from 8:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Titusville on Saturday, May 20. Cost to attend is $10.

OR -

Today Bluegill Graphix is located at 318 North Franklin Street in Titusville. But the structure was originally built in 1872 as the Temple B’Nai Zion, a reform Jewish synagogue. It served in that capacity for 20 years and then was used for other purposes until it closed in 1992. It sat vacant and deteriorating for 11 years until it was purchased by Mike and Kathy Irwin. They completely rehabilitated the structure, adapting it to their needs while retaining many of its key historic features. It is now a modern company offering in-house custom screen printing and embroidery services.

Tour this unique building and see why it received a Historic Preservation Award in 2005. The "Tour of Bluegill Graphix" is scheduled from 8:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on May 20, 2017. Cost to attend is $10.

Both of these programs have been approved for Act 48; educators who attend may receive continuing education credits through the Riverview Intermediate Unit. Contact www.riu6.org for details.

Three musical concerts have been scheduled at the Neilltown Church this summer. Concerts at the historic church building begin at 2 p.m. and last until 4 p.m. The site is located just off Route 227, four miles east of Pleasantville.

On Sunday, July 24 the Pine Valley Boys will perform. This lively group hails from the Franklin area and features Jim Miller of Polk.

On Sunday, August 14, Pony Farm Road will perform. They are from the Marienville area and have played at Neilltown Church each year for the past seven years.

On August 28 there will be a Pickin' Party organized by Jim Aaron of Franklin.

Light refreshments are served. Seating is limited; bring a seat cushion or folding chair.

Attendees of the concerts are asked to donate $5 per person since no outside funding was received this year to subsidize the concert series.

On Saturday, August 13, from noon to 4 p.m. tour the rehabilitated Tarbell House at 324 East Main Street in Titusville. This is the one time of the year when this house museum is open to the public. Tours are free.

The historic McClintock-Steele-Waitz House, aka the Coal Oil Johnny House, will be open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17. The home of the Oil Region's prodigal son is located next to the Rynd Farm Train Station inside Oil Creek State Park. Tours are free.

Questions about any of these events may be directed to Toni Kresinski, Project Manager, at 800-483-6264 x 110.