The U.S. Post Office in Titusville will now bear the name of the father of the American oil industry.
Legislation renaming the facility at 135 W. Spring St. to the Edwin L. Drake Post Office Building was signed Saturday by President Joe Biden.
The bill, led by Congressman Mike Kelly, was approved in June 2024 by the U.S. House of Representatives and in December 2024 by the U.S. Senate. Kelly, a Republican from Butler, represents Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District which includes Crawford County.
“Edwin Drake’s discovery led to a revolution that transformed the world and put Titusville and the Oil Region in the history books,” Kelly said in a statement. “Now, I am proud to cement his legacy in our nation’s history with this honor. I would like to thank my colleagues for their support in honoring this American pioneer.”
In 1859, Edwin Drake became the first person to use an iron pipe to drill for oil. His “drive pipe” quickly produced between 20 to 40 barrels daily, using all the whiskey barrels in Titusville. Drake’s well started the Pennsylvania oil rush in 1859 which launched an economic revolution. Drake died in 1880 and is buried in Titusville. The original tools used by him are at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville.