2 Titusville
Before there was oil, coal
and timber – with a boost
from railroads – fueled
Pennsylvania’s economy.
But even before Edwin
Drake’s Eureka moment
in August 1859 (after
many failed attempts)
when he invented a new
method of drilling for
oil without collapsing
the hole, oil had been
seeping from the ground
reportedly for centuries.
After that first year,
wells were producing
4500 barrels. Only three
years later the total was
three million. And 10
years later kerosene was
the nation’s fuel. When
Edison electrified part of
lower Manhattan in 1882,
kerosene’s relevance was
threatened, but alongcame the automobile and
once again gas was king.
To get a sense of this
chapter in Pennsylvania’s
history, head to the
Drake Well Museum
(%814-827-2797; http://www.
drakewell.org; 202 Museum
Ln; adult/child $10/5;
h9am-5pm Apr-Dec, from
noon Sun) which has
a replica of Drake’s
engine house, working
antique machinery, a
large gallery of exhibits
and even an olfactory
challenge asking you to
smell oil from around
the world. Learn about
the local boom towns
that drew more migrants
than California’s Gold
Rush and how Drake
never capitalized on
his invention and died
virtually broke.The Drive » After leaving
Titusville on Rte 27 headingeast, take the junction to the left
onto Enterprise-Titusville Rd for
about 3.5 miles before hooking
up again with Rte 27 heading
north. Connect with Rte 6 east
and then to Rte 59 closer to the
Allegheny Reservoir. If you have
time, turn right on Forest Rd/
Rte 262 just before the reservoir
and follow it to the southern
end of Kinzua Creek before
connecting with Rte 321 N to
take you back to Rte 59. Views
from this high plateau are worth
the detour while you’re on this
72-mile drive. Then it’s Rte 770
to Rte 219 which turns into a
four-lane highway.3 Bradford
Evidence of Bradford’s
glory days when oil
barons called the town
home can still be seen in
a handful of impressive
buildings on Main Street.
Otherwise, downtown
feels neglected and
vacant, highlightingStart: 1 Cambridge Springs
Jutting out from the city of Erie into the lake of the same name, Presque Isle State
Park shoots north and then curves back upon itself like Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
A slow crawl on the 13-mile loop road that circumnavigates the sandy peninsula
takes you past windswept swimming beaches and walking and biking trails that
lead past ponds and wooded areas. In warm weather, the picnic areas get crowded
and cyclists, runners and rollerbladers compete for space. The modern and
comprehensive Tom Ridge Environmental Center (%814-833-7424; http://www.trecpi.org;
301 Peninsula Dr; h10am-6pm), on the mainland side just before the park entrance and
across the street from an amusement park, pretty much covers everything you’d
want to know about the park, with interactive exhibits for kids. Things pretty much
shut down from November to January when snow squalls and cold air blanket the
region.
To visit, head north on US 19 from Cambridge Springs for 27 miles to Erie and
the park.PRESQUE ISLE STATE PARK
DETOUR:
NEW.JERSEY.&.PENNSYLVANIA.TRIPS14
(^) THROUGH THE WILDS ALONG ROUTE 6