The Abbott Home

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.

Titusville, Pennsylvania · United States