Drake Well Museum to Host Annual Fall Gas Up

Saturday, September 10, Drake Well Museum and Park will host the 37th Annual Fall Gas Up, sponsored by the Pioneer Steam and Gas Engine Society. Displays will include operating and stationary gas engines made in PA & tractors in the oil fields. The Fall Gas Up will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is included in the museum’s regular admission fees.

The Pioneer Steam and Gas Engine Society is comprised of members from the tri-state area whose interests are the restoration and preservation of a wide variety of “hit & miss” gas engines. As part of the Fall Gas Up event, these enthusiasts display engines ranging in size from small Maytags that were used to power washing machines to large oil field engines that were used to pump many wells at one time. Drake Well Museum and Park’s Olin gas engine (Titusville Iron Works) and pumping wells will be in operation along with the Bessemer engine, made in Butler, PA, and more.

This year, Drake Well will feature Engines Made in PA & Tractors in the Oilfields. The Museum’s 1930 Fall-All F-20 tractor has been restored to operational condition. In 1930, George T. McMurdy and his brother, Charles, went into the oil business and built the tag-along pulling machine. They used parts off an old wooden pulling rig used by their father, John. They bought a Myers winch made in Rockland, Venango County for the Farm-All F20 tractor. When Charles joined the service in 1942, George continued to work with his father John, who died in 1944, pulling their own wells and those of others. Visitors to the event can view this newly-restored engine throughout the day.

Michael Knecht, Museum Site Administrator, encourages the public to take advantage of this special event saying, “The Fall Gas Up offers visitors an exceptional opportunity to experience the engines that powered Pennsylvania’s oil fields over the last 150 plus years and to speak to the experts that keep these historic machines running.”

The Fall Gas Up will also feature a food booth operated by the Hydetown Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary.

Located off Route 8 south of Titusville, Drake Well Museum and Park is open year-round. Drake Well Museum is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in partnership with Friends of Drake Well, Inc. and is part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History® (www.PATrailsofHistory.com).

For more information about the Fall Gas Up or other museum programs, call (814) 827-2797 or find us on Facebook at Drake Well Museum.