Pithole

Named for Pithole Creek, which was anecdotally named after a rock fissure smelling like the “pit of Hell”, Pithole was an oil boomtown in Pennsylvania. It lasted from 1865 to 1877 before it became a ghost town, one that left no trace for modern visitors. Despite its obscurity, this backwoods city carried massive implications for the modern age. It was here that Samuel Van Syckle pioneered the world’s first successful oil pipeline, ushering in an age of easy access to crude oil hitherto undreamt-of. It also hosted numerous large personalities, such as Ben Hogan, the “Wickedest Man in the World”, and Kate LeCounte, a career criminal who spoke six languages.

In 1864, a few months after the close of the Civil War, the United States Petroleum Company’s Fraizer well proved to be a gusher. During Pennsylvania’s oil boom, discharged soldiers and citizenry alike were swept with a new fervor. This desire to strike it rich would transform the tiny farming community of Pithole into a riotous town of over 15,000 in under a year. Wooden structures were built right into the crude-soaked mud, tent cities clustering among the derricks so crowded that it was impossible to lead a horse between them. The news of this prosperous boomtown in the hills drew all manner of men – and at its height, Pithole hosted churches, brothels, newspapers, and casinos side by side. Nothing about the town signaled an intent to homestead – gambling, shootings and robberies were commonplace, and no efforts were made to erect permanent buildings. Once the wells ran dry, Pithole was steadily abandoned until it officially emptied in 1877 – its entire existence lasting only 12 years and vanishing without a trace. 

More enduring than the town itself has been the personalities of its occupants. Two criminals, specifically, are inextricably linked with Pithole – Ben Hogan (the self-styled wickedest man in the world) and Kate LeCounte (also called French Kate – though her true name is lost to time). French Kate was a career criminal who owned a brothel, spoke six languages, and had a knack for hiring the right people. She recruited Hogan to be her bouncer, and he backed her enterprises wherever she went. She was likened to a vampire in a 1906 publication, likely because of her purported ability to seduce men. While the validity of this claim is unknown, it was rumored that she numbered John Wilkes Booth among her conquests. It is possible – Booth arrived in the oil region, hoping to strike it rich, during the time her brothel was in operation. However, as neither party confirmed it, this must be taken as part of her legend.

Ben Hogan began as a street fighter, working his way into infamy with his boxer’s training. Although saddled with a penchant for violence, it is interesting to note that he generally tried to resolve things peacefully, turning himself over to the local police after things turned violent. It is equally as interesting to note that he never stayed incarcerated for long. Whenever he was accused of a murder, his customary reply was to shrug his “gorilla-like” shoulders and ask what his accuser planned to do about it. After a long career of helping Kate with her brothel, purportedly winning every fistfight he engaged in, and generally earning his nickname as “the wickedest man in the world”, the closing chapters of his life show an abrupt about-face. After leaving Pithole for good after a disastrous shoot-out, he found religion and was eventually mentored by the famous Christian evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Hogan spent his sunset years preaching temperance, strong living, and Jesus in the very towns he used to rule as Kate’s iron fist. The populations were understandably dubious of his sincerity, and he quietly died in 1916.

Far from only furnishing legends, Pithole was also the birthplace of the first successful pipeline. Samuel Van Syckel, noting that teamsters (men driving horses) charged more for their transportation services than the oil they carried was valued at, was determined to break their hold on the industry. In the summer of 1865, his 5 ½ mile pipeline was completed. It utilized gravity feed on inclines and steam power on slopes, allowing the oil to bypass teamsters and muddy roads. This allowed it to flow directly to the Allegheny River and Oil Creek, where it was collected and loaded onto boats for transport to market. This enraged the teamsters, who saw not only their monopoly but their very profession crumbling before their eyes. They sabotaged the pipeline with pickaxes until police involvement forced them to stop.

Within a few weeks, an entire link in the chair of the oil industry was completely replaced, ushering in a new age of accessibility – but also unrest. The Oil Riots of 1872 almost destroyed the industry as scores of teamsters protested their sudden unemployment. The Pithole innovation that reached across the nation may have bolstered the oil industry by expanding its reach, but it came at a grave cost to hundreds of teamsters. As history will tell, their riots went unanswered, and oil pipelines are a staple of the modern industry. 

Burdick, Johnathan. “Pithole City: A Boomtown That Burst with Personality.” Erie Reader, Great Lakes Online Media , 22 May 2019, www.eriereader.com/article/pithole-city-a-boomtown-that-burst-with-personality.

Darrah, William C. Pithole, the Vanished City. Oil Region Alliance, 2007.

Berliner, Uri. “Even Pickaxes Couldn't Stop The Nation's First Oil Pipeline.” NPR, NPR, 25 Feb. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/02/24/388729919/even-pickaxes-couldnt-stop-the-nations-first-oil-pipeline#:~:text=Courtesy%20of%20PHMC-,Tanks%20holding%20oil%20in%20Pithole%2C%20Pa.%2C%20in%201868.,it%20was%20an%20engineering%20marvel.

St Clair, Grace. Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism. Oil Heritage Region Driving Tour. Oil City, 2020.