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Hi, I'm writing from the mountains of western Maine where we now live. As teenagers we used to travel up to the Rockland furnace from our hometown, New Castle, PA and explore the furnace and surrounding area. Since then we also traveled by boat and canoe from Warren down to Emlenton. There's a lot of history surrounding Emlenton, Bob Hope's wife being from there being one interesting aspects of the town. We lived in Philadelphia for about 10 years across the street from the Chew Estate (where Chewton, PA gets its name), and just up from the Emlen estate where Emlenton derives its name. I picked up a short book of the History of Emlenton some years ago where it stated that the first steamship, or it might have been the first steam passenger ship, I'm not sure, was named the "New Castle." Being from New Castle, this stuck with me. Thank you for posting these videos, I appreciate it, and am sure others do as well.

Thanks so much for your video. I really appreciate it.

Oh how I remember those buildings….your whole life existence was there for 16 weeks. And it was do or die…..you either made it or you didn’t….and didn’t meant a 4 year enlistment in whatever the Navy needed or wanted.

Messy, dreadful business.

What is that wierd noise?

At 34:28 the author says 1960's, he meant 1860's

Class 25-67. Probably the toughest 11 weeks of my life but also the most rewarding. AOCS and Ssgt Jimmy Russell helped me to become a man.

Have you ever made a connection between gm sheffer and the essay echoes from the oil county that were printed in American Machinist Magazine

Being Evelyn Nesbit's first cousin, three times removed, I also enjoy the history of western Pennsylvania.

I was in 0166 and can’t figure how you got a camera into the barracks. It would have been wild if you could have gotten INDOC

Thank you for the video, Rick. Well done and very interesting. I'm from the coal country of Western PA, went to college in Pittsburgh, and love everything about the region. Always great to learn more history of the area. Ted

Jimmie Jones, class 27-82, SSGT Kerr. I carry him with me to this day. That man changed my life. Retired Captain.

A great presentation, Rick. I loved how you weaved family experiences with the larger oil industry experiences around Pennsylvania and beyond; it added a more human element of individual livelihoods. Thank you!

My great grandfather, Thomas Aloysius Anderton, was one of the members of the group that founded the Continental Refining Corporation, CORECO, whose operation built a nearly two-mile refinery along PA 8 north of Oil City. Our family history is deeply intertwined with the area.

I always wondered what the channels were that are next to the Rockland furnace . The water wheel and bellows make perfect sense and thank you for the extensive history lesson

Excellent presentation. I truly appreciate all the hard work that went into it!

AOCS October 1966-January 1967. Served as AIO VQ1 Japan and Vietnam 1968-1970

Fascinating wow.....Hello from Petrolia. Spent a few weeks hauling stone to the Philipston Tunnel Project for Armstong rail trail Saras furnace to The tunnel and Philipston are being paved. They have redone the entire tunnel refined it and installing solar led lights. Rockland Dootwrs eddy are great places to explore and hike. I've always wanted to know what rail road went through Chicora Petrolia Bruin Parker and over the River across the old Foxburgh Bridge. I've always wanted to do a Oil City to Apollo or Pittsburgh trip on the rail trail. I took a little trip to Reesedale walked across the Shaw something rail road Bridge the other day. Local History Fascinating to me and I'm always wanting to learn more. Thanks for the great content.

Hello from Petrolia Butler County Home of Witco and Penreco. Western PA history is fascinating and interesting indeed. Our valley here is rich in oil history the woods are still filled with abandoned wells everywhere. There are still quite a few operating to this day.

Born and raised in Oil City.

Thank you for the great family story. What could have made the US a leader in the oil industry has turned into greed and politics. Now we price our oil in line with Saudi prices which means they keep the price of oil artificially high. Even though Alaska has helped meet our oil demand, it does not matter as OPEC sets the price of oil. Probably not much different than when Rockefeller dominated the oil industry. The reason I looked into oil city is that my Son used to race r/c Monster Trucks there and it was one of our favorite places. Many thanks to your family for all they have done for the oil industry. Amazing your family could have so much to do with this international business.

My dad, Freddy Hill, was on the kittyhawk 68-69. Green Coat.

Great video. Thank you. 🐱

I was a member of Class 37-74 Ssgt W.E. Call was my Drill Instructor and the experience I had there has been with me my whole life and wouldn't trade it for anything!

thanks for sharing

Love the history! Would love to sit hear about more history, I grew up in Fairview. I love hearing history about the little towns around! If you ever read this get back to me!

Thanks for the great and personal history lesson, maybe John D Rockefeller and John Wilkes Booth knew each other, very interesting.

Nice job, thanks for posting.

Loved what you did with this Rick. I think after having my daughter in Iraq a simple thank you isn't enough to say. All you men and women are the best of the best and need to be alwaysed remembered for all you have given. Thanks to all the bravery you took into these battles.. I remember my daughter being interview when they were loading onto their buses. She was asked are you ok with going and she told them, the military has paid my way in school and beyond and it's time for me to pay it back. I'm scared but proud to be an American.

Very informative, thanks.

RN CCRN VALDEZ 💋🪖😎🐑🔔🏥🩰😇🪞🗝️🕊️🙏🙏🙏

Curious, Kittanning to Oil City is around 60 miles, so 132 miles as you state, they must of done a lot of a zig zag route to get there.

Class 40-85 0:35

I grew up in St. Petersburg beautiful area. Lately I've been interested in my families history and have been looking for any information on the "Dittman" Do you have any info on them?

Great video!! Loved it

Anyone out there who has made a video of Class 16-81?

Class 12-86!

Nice video! We have been working on finding these around Venango County, I imagine tougher than when you did with your Dad, many have been reclaimed, fallen in or now exist of private property. The list we work with is from a 1960's book found in the Franklin, PA library.

I am a Japanese who likes airplanes. I especially like US Navy aircraft. What surprised me the most was the old Yokosuka scenery in 1968. The scenery has changed considerably now. Thanks for the great film.

The first oil well was in Poland not Pennsylvania.

The first oil well was in Poland not Pennsylvania.

The first ever oil well was in Poland not Pennsylvania. Ignacy Lukaszcwicz. Look it up. Our history books were wrong.

I like too know if any book about your area history print.this one lesson best learning about oil history.calgary alberta

such a shame as when conrail took over most of that line was abandoned.

Class 29-69. Best part of my military service. Thanks SSG Timothy Rapes, USMC, Drill Instructor.

Wow. The 8 foot wall without the 5 foot high portion for women. I went through NACCS in 1995 and got a kick out of; "Women, when you get to the 12 foot wall with the ropes, just touch it and run around it. Then make it over your 5 foot wall with no rope. Sorry men, you have to scale the 12 foot wall and go over the 8 foot wall with no rope. And you have to do it in a faster time." I learned right off the bat that being equal is not being equal.

Has anything been done to restore Emlenton since your presentation?

Thank you for the great presentation, very nicely done! (BTW you've got a great narrating voice- a bit like David McCullough). My gg-grandfather, Robert Gregg, who was born in Venango County in 1830 (approx.) and was listed as a blacksmith in his Civil War discharge papers. I'm always looking for information about his life in Venango County and your presentation's discussion of the micro-economies that supported these furnaces may offer a clue as to how he might have been lured into a profession as a blacksmith- a stretch perhaps but plausible I suppose.

How did the get paid ?Where did they take the oil in the early days before oil riggs?