Local historian
Western New York was a major oil producer for many decades beginning at the turn of the 20th century.
A Sinclair gas station pump greets customers at Pro Hardware. (click image to view larger)
Don Baldwin’s barn has been converted into a museum in part telling the story of the oil industry in Western New York. (click image to view larger)
Baldwin has meticulously restored engines that once dotted the landscape, pumping oil and natural gas from the New York and Pennsylvania oil fields. (click image to view larger)
Baldwin operates one of his restored engines. (click image to view larger)
The oil boom in western New York left an indelible impact on communities like Wellsville. European immigrants initially were attracted to the green valleys of this area for their agricultural possibilities and plentiful timber, but the discovery of oil in eastern Pennsylvania and western New York changed local economies into manufacturing centers with skilled laborers.
Many local residents have fond memories of the oil boom years in western New York, collecting stories, photos and memorabilia, but none more avidly than local historian and Pro Hardware owner Don Baldwin. The original Sinclair gas station pump in his hardware store is just the beginning, however.
Baldwin has converted a barn behind his home into an active museum dedicated in large part to the local oil industry. From the large gas station signs on the outside, to the extensive photo and newspaper archive inside, visitors can get a vivid sense of how the oil industry dominated the local landscape for decades. Displays on his walls include local and national coverage of the great Wellsville refinery fire in the 1930s. The refinery survived that fire, but closed after another major fire in the 1950s.
The most amazing part of his collection, however, is more than a dozen working engines once used to pump oil and natural gas from local oil fields. Many of these large engines were manufactured locally in Wellsville and surrounding communities. Baldwin has meticulously restored the engines, connecting them to natural gas lines and vent pipes to make them operational, and happily fires them up for visitors.