William Hawkins Abbott was born in Connecticut in 1819, moved to Ohio, and came to Titusville in 1860. He invested in oil wells, including the Crossley, which produced 70 barrels a day. Recognizing oil as a marketable commodity when refined into kerosene for lamp fuel, Abbott enlisted the help of a chemist to learn the principles of refining. With partners William Barnsdall and James Parker, he formed William H. Abbott & Company and built the first oil refinery in the region. Abbott also established an oil trading house, owned a pipeline system, and served as president of the Citizen's Bank. Known as a leading citizen and for his generosity to the community, he gave extensively to the building and long-term support of Saint James Memorial church until financial reverses overwhelmed him. About 1870, the Abbott home was built from a design by his son-in-law, H.E. Wrigley, an area cartographer, and though its interior has been renovated over the years, its exterior retains its original integrity as an excellent example of Colonial Revival style with Neo-Classical Greek elements.