BUSINESS DIRECTORY OF OIL CITY & VENANGO CITY, 1866-1867. Reprinted 2006 by Oil Region Alliance, Intro by Neil McElwee. Oil City and Venango City, a smaller community across the Allegheny River, at this time were bustling Pennsylvania towns of mostly boatmen, boat builders, wharf masters and river pilots. This first directory published for this area lists names of approximately 1,900 businessmen, mechanics and laborers compiled from a general population estimated to be between 12,000 and 16,000 residents. These listings include occupations and addresses for virtually every name mentioned. The book also includes statistics and business advertisements. 

Oil City in April 1866 was a town of boats, wharves, oil warehouses, several new railroads, twenty-two hotels, and boarding houses. Numerous residential and commercial structures existed on both the west and east sides of Oil Creek. In May 1866, the month after this directory was published, a tremendous fire of legendary proportions swept through the streets east of the Creek destroying most residences and commercial structures in the area. Much of the built streetscape listed in this April 1866 publication did not exist at the end of May. This rare directory almost immediately became a quick snapshot in time. Includes fold-out map. 109 pages, 5 x 8 Softbound