Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry

06/19/2026

We expect to have another full house for tonight's silent film showing. Only a few tickets remain.

Please note that the museum is closed to visitors today as we prepare for this evening's event.

For ticket holders: doors open at 6:30 PM, and the program begins at 7:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you tonight!

We cannot guarantee tickets will be available at the door. Limited tickets are available here: https://www.venangomuseum.org/event-details/captain-january-1924

06/18/2026

Our second art workshop was a busy one! This week, the kids tried out printed radial designs, paper polygons, block/string printing, and tube-and-bead wind chimes. Lots of color and creativity!

06/17/2026

In this week’s A Minute in History, we explore how Oil City helped turn crude oil from a physical substance into a market. Oil became something that could be bought, sold, tracked, and speculated on.

From curbstone exchanges on city streets to The Oil City Derrick and the official Oil Exchange, the business of oil became part of the region’s story.

06/16/2026

Strawberry Delight is in the contest this year with their pizza burger! 🍕🍔

We love seeing our participating restaurants share their entries. Entry cards are still available at the Venango Museum front desk for $10, and the contest runs through August 31.

Plenty of summer left to make your way through the card! 🥪

Did you know Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry is doing the best sandwich in the county competition?
We entered our pizza burger this year and would love for you to come give it a try!
Head to the museum and get yourself a card to cast a vote and go try as many sandwiches as you can! There’s 17 sandwiches entered this year!

06/15/2026

In the first years of Pennsylvania’s oil boom, oil was hard to miss. It stained the ground. It floated on water. It leaked from barrels, soaked into muddy roads, clung to wagons, and filled the air with its smell. But as the industry grew, oil began to move differently.

Our latest blog post and Oil Region Tales podcast episode, “When Oil Learned to Disappear,” explores how pipelines helped change the way crude oil moved through the Oil Region.

Before pipelines, oil depended on wagons, horses, teamsters, barrels, muddy roads, boats, and railroads. Then, Samuel Van Syckel’s 1865 pipeline near Pithole showed that oil did not always have to be carried one barrel at a time. It could flow. And once oil entered the pipeline, it began to vanish from the road, from the barrel, and from sight.

Read the full story on the Venango Museum blog and listen to the latest episode of Oil Region Tales here: https://www.venangomuseum.org/post/when-oil-learned-to-disappear

06/12/2026

We’re one week away from our next Silent Film Night!

Join us Friday, June 19, for Captain January (1924), starring Baby Peggy, one of the most beloved child stars of the silent era.

This silent film will be shown with live musical accompaniment by guest organist Tedde Gibson on our restored Wurlitzer theater organ, originally from Oil City’s Latonia Theater.

Join us for:
- Live organ music
- A classic silent film
- Complimentary popcorn, candy, and soda
- A chance to experience film history the way audiences did a century ago

Get your tickets now: https://www.venangomuseum.org/event-details/captain-january-1924

06/11/2026

One of this year’s Best Sandwich in the County entries is the Smokehouse Melt from Baked Goods From Heaven in Oil City.

Entry cards are available now at the Venango Museum front desk for $10. Each card gets you 50% off one contest sandwich at each participating restaurant, one time per restaurant.

The contest runs through August 31.

Have you snagged your Venango Museum of Art Science & Industry card yet? We’ve got our Smokehouse Melt in the running AND highly suggest upgrading to double meat, plus heavens way with a side of our favorite onion rings 🧅

06/10/2026

In 1865, Pithole had oil. A lot of it. But oil sitting in the field did not make money unless it could move.

In this week’s A Minute in History, we look at Samuel Van Syckel’s early pipeline near Pithole and how it changed the way oil moved through the Oil Region.

06/09/2026

We had a great time at our first art workshop of the summer!

Kids spent the day making paint chip mosaics, fish windsocks, paper spinners, beaded bracelets, and flower pot weavings.

It was a fun way to start off our summer workshops at the museum!

06/05/2026

We’re staying open late on the first Friday of each month this summer.

On the first Friday of June, July, and August, the Venango Museum will be open from 10 AM to 8 PM.

Kids 18 and under get in free during these special summer hours, and regular admission applies for adults.

So whether you’re looking for something to do after work or trying to get the kids out of the house for a bit, stop by and spend some time with local history!