After months of research, collaboration, and copy-editing (did I spell Chevrolet right here, here, and here?!), the day has finally arrived–my newest exhibit, “A Tale of Two Millers” is ready for its debut! This project has given me a fascinating glimpse into the oil industry in its later years, and shown once again how far-reaching Titusville’s oil boom truly was.
My goal for this exhibit was to take an artifact from the Titusville Iron Works’ collection, namely its 19th-century Rockaway carriage owned by Charles Miller, and use it to tell the larger story of Miller, the oil baron behind Galena Oil Works in Franklin, Pa., and his influence on U.S. transportation history. Miller’s Galena oil transformed the railroad industry, giving it the tools it needed to drive the country’s great westward expansion in the last half of the 1800s. Miller’s son, Charles Joseph Sibley Miller, used his father’s wealth to invest in the early automobile scene. He owned Franklin’s first car, and got in on the ground floor of U.S. auto racing. His partnership with Louis Chevrolet on the country’s first race tracks allowed Chevrolet to make a name for himself and pursue his vision for modern automobiles, culminating in the establishment of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.
This was the space when I started back in January. My to-do list included: a complete narrative script covering Miller, his carriage, and his son; new text panels and mounts to hold them; features for the surrounding walls; and brightening the entire space.
And here is the space today! It was so exciting seeing all the pieces come together, and I especially love the raw metal mounts fabricated by the crew at the Iron Works. It’s my hope that the entire community will enjoy the new exhibit and learn a bit more about the region’s heritage.
“A Tale of Two Millers” can be viewed at the Titusville Iron Works during its Oil and Gas Memorabilia Pop-Up Shop, March 29-30, 2019, and during future events.
The Free-Range Historian 