Cornplanter Township | |
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Township | |
The ghost town of Pithole in Cornplanter Township
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Map of Venango County highlighting Cornplanter Township |
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Coordinates: 41°31′0″N 79°35′59″W / 41.51667°N 79.59972°WCoordinates: 41°31′0″N 79°35′59″W / 41.51667°N 79.59972°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Venango |
Settled | 1795 |
Incorporated | November 28, 1833 |
Named for | Cornplanter, a Seneca war-chief |
Government | |
• Type | Board of Supervisors |
Area | |
• Total | 37.99 sq mi (98.39 km2) |
• Land | 37.45 sq mi (96.98 km2) |
• Water | 0.54 sq mi (1.41 km2) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 2,418 |
• Estimate (2016) | 2,325 |
• Density | 62.09/sq mi (23.97/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Area code(s) | 814 |
FIPS code | 42-121-16232 |
Cornplanter Township is a township in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,687 at the 2000 census.
was a small community in Cornplanter Township in Venango County, Pennsylvania. In 1861, it was the site of Wamsutta Oil Refinery, the first business venture of Henry Huttleston Rogers, who became a leading United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. Rogers and his young wife Abbie Palmer Gifford Rogers lived in a one-room shack there along Oil Creek for several years.
Shortly later, Rogers met oil pioneer Charles Pratt who purchased the entire output of the tiny Wamsutta Oil Refinery. In 1867, Rogers joined Pratt in forming Charles Pratt and Company, which was purchased by Standard Oil in 1874. Rogers became one of the key men in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust.
After joining Standard Oil, Rogers invested heavily in various industries, including copper, steel, mining, and railways. The Virginian Railway is widely considered his final life's achievement. Rogers amassed a great fortune, estimated at over $100 million, and became one of the wealthiest men in the United States.