Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry

Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry Museum located in Oil City, Pa., serving the interests of Venango County residents & visitors.

Join us Saturday, September 12, for a special Silent Film Series screening featuring live accompaniment by a five-piece ...
09/04/2026

Join us Saturday, September 12, for a special Silent Film Series screening featuring live accompaniment by a five-piece orchestra, including the Venango Museum’s 1928 Wurlitzer theatre organ.

Tickets to this special screening are extremely limited.

・"The Lost Word" (1925)
・Saturday, September 12
・1 PM (Doors open at 12:30)
・Venango Museum - Oil City, PA
・Buy your tickets now: https://www.venangomuseum.org/silent-film-series

This project/event was made possible in part by a Venango County Tourism Event Support Grant.

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Best Sandwich in the County contest! 🥪The contest officially ended on August 31, and entry car...
09/04/2026

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Best Sandwich in the County contest! 🥪

The contest officially ended on August 31, and entry cards are already starting to make their way back to the museum with your votes.

If you still have your card, don’t forget to return it to the Museum by September 19 so your vote can be counted.

And if you visited at least 10 of our participating restaurants, make sure your name and phone number are filled out on the card. You’ll be entered to win a $50 gift card from this year’s winning restaurant.

We’ll announce the 2026 Best Sandwich winner in October, along with the winner of the gift card.

Thank you to everyone who participated this summer, and especially to all 17 restaurants who made our 10th year a great one!

It was great to welcome Walt Strony all the way from California to Oil City here at the museum to accompany Buster Keato...
09/03/2026

It was great to welcome Walt Strony all the way from California to Oil City here at the museum to accompany Buster Keaton’s silent-film classic, “The General.” His performance brought the film and our theater organ (originally from Oil City’s Latonia Theatre) to life.

Walt’s words about the museum and our community mean a great deal to us. We are also grateful to Robert Lent for his continuing work on the organ and to Andrew Moore for helping prepare it for our silent film screenings. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

09/02/2026

In early 1865, Pithole was not yet a town. By September, its largest building was an 1,100-seat theater. From Shakespeare at Murphy’s to oil-field farces and performances in Petroleum Centre, this episode explores how entertainment rose alongside the derricks and how the Oil Region put itself onstage.

08/26/2026

What did it mean to grow up while Pennsylvania’s Oil Region was still taking shape?

Through Ida Tarbell’s memories and records of Petroleum Centre’s schools and shops, this episode explores how children learned, played, and made a childhood among derricks, busy streets, and the uncertainty of the oil boom.

If you’ve purchased a Best Sandwich card from the Museum this summer, this is the last week to use them! You can still t...
08/25/2026

If you’ve purchased a Best Sandwich card from the Museum this summer, this is the last week to use them!

You can still try the sandwiches entered into this year’s contest and receive the 50% OFF discount at our participating restaurants until August 31.

When you’ve tried all the sandwiches you like, be sure to vote for your favorite sandwich and return your entry card to the Museum by September 19. Winner of the contest to be announced in October!

In October 1870, a rumor circulated through Petroleum Centre: an oil tank had burst on the McCray farm. There was only o...
08/24/2026

In October 1870, a rumor circulated through Petroleum Centre: an oil tank had burst on the McCray farm. There was only one problem: no tank had actually burst.

Our newest blog post explores how information traveled through Venango County’s early oil boom. News could move faster than a barrel of oil. Confirmation did not always move as quickly.

Read “The Oil Boom Ran on Rumor”: https://www.venangomuseum.org/post/the-oil-boom-ran-on-rumor

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our third silent film program of the season! We had a great time with...
08/22/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our third silent film program of the season!

We had a great time with our guest organist, Walt Strony, who accompanied the feature film "The General" live on our 1928 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, originally from Oil City's Latonia Theatre.

We're looking forward to our next silent film program:

- "The Lost World" (1925)
- Saturday, September 12 at 1pm
- Guest musicians: Pittsburgh Film Orchestra - A Silent Film Ensemble

Tickets are limited and available here: https://www.venangomuseum.org/event-details/the-lost-world-1925

We have another full house for tonight's silent film program. Tonight’s showing of “The General” (1926) is sold out. Ple...
08/21/2026

We have another full house for tonight's silent film program. Tonight’s showing of “The General” (1926) is sold out.

Please note that the museum is closed to visitors today as we prepare for this evening's event.

For ticket holders: doors open at 6:30 PM, and the program begins at 7:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you tonight!

08/19/2026

Oil brought thousands of people into Pennsylvania’s Oil Region, but the boomtowns grew faster than sanitation could keep up. Crowded streets, contaminated water, and poor living conditions made sickness another danger of life in the oil boom.

Address

270 Seneca Street
Oil City, PA
16301

Telephone

+18146762007

Website

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