Scheide House

Built around 1866, the Scheide house was owned by three generations of multimillionaire oil barons, two of which were executives of the Standard Oil Company. Throughout their lifetimes, these men collected rare, historical manuscripts, supported civil rights, and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars. The house was donated to the Titusville Area school distract for use as offices, but high maintenance fees forced the district to put the house up for sale. After a legal battle with a potential buyer, the building was donated to the Titusville Historical Society, who donated it to the Oil Region Alliance. The Scheide house now functions as a Cultural Preservation Center.

After William T. Scheide (SHY-dee) made his fortune as an executive in the Standard Oil Company, he retired at the age of 42 to pursue his true passion: historical books. His son, John, shared this passion and purchased the Scheide House (originally built in 1866 for Charles Matlby) in 1922. He quickly added a fireproof wing to the house for the library of rare books and manuscripts his father had collected, ranging from original printings of the Bible, to a handwritten speech by Abraham Lincoln, to a 1776 first printing of the Declaration of Independence. John added to this library as he aged, instilling the same love of books his father developed in himself into his son, William H. Scheide.

William H. grew to be both an accomplished musician (graduating from Princeton before teaching music at both his alma mater and Cornell) and a philanthropist, in addition to being a multimillionaire. One of his most important acts of charity was financially supporting the desegregation court case Brown vs Board of Education. Even after the case was resolved, he continued to support civil rights and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to other political causes. While his political leanings were Democratic, as well as most of his donations, he was a registered Republican his entire life. When asked why he didn't change his political registration, he replied that Lincoln had been a Republican, and he would not betray his favorite president. He also funded a project that took Bach's vocal works and combined them into one concert. While the resulting arias were mainly praised, a few critics disapproved of the interspersing of different works, arguing that it disrespected the context.

In 1959 William donated the house to the Titusville Area school district. The book collection went to Princeton, over 2,500 rare printings filling the shelves of a wing designed after the one attached to the house. After William H.’s death in 2014, Princeton gained official ownership of the collection, valued at over $300 million. With the generous man gone, the school district was left attempting to upkeep the house on their own. Eventually, the expensive upkeep left the district willing to sell this historic home.

A lawyer from Pittsburgh expressed interest in buying the property for use as a law office. His failure to make the down payment resulted in an eight-month court battle, ending with ownership returning to the school district. As time went on, the price dropped until in 2018 the school district donated the Scheide house to the Titusville Historical Society. The same day, the Society transferred ownership of the building to the Oil Region Alliance. Preservation work is ongoing, and once completed, the Scheide house will be re-opened as a Cultural Preservation Center. 

Built in the Italianate style, the Scheide house features tall windows, a barely steeped roof, and porch columns. While traditional Italianate structures are known for being asymmetrical, the Scheide house instead has a symmetrical front, with a low, square tower centered above the porch and between the chimneys. The outside stonework has carvings of men and animals, and the library featured diamond-patterned stained glass windows.

Myers, Valerie. “Titusville Oil Mansion for Sale, Again.” GoErie.com, Gannett Co., Inc., 9 Sept. 2017, www.goerie.com/news/20170910/titusville-oil-mansion-for-sale-again.

Staff, *. “William H. Scheide Preservation Project Open House in Titusville November 15.” Your Erie.com, Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. , 24 Oct. 2018, www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/william-h-scheide-preservation-project-open-house-in-titusville-november-15/.

VenangoExtra.com, Posted By: “Historic Scheide House Turned over to Oil Region Alliance.” Venango Extra.com, MH Newsdesk By MH Themes, 2 Oct. 2018, www.venangoextra.com/historic-scheide-house-turned-over-to-oil-region-alliance.

Yardley, William. “William H. Scheide, 100, Philanthropist, Is Dead.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Nov. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/arts/music/william-h-scheide-100-philanthropist-is-dead.html.