Scheide Home, 1864
In 1890, Josiah Benton, superintendent of Tidewater Pipeline and co-founder of Titusville Forge Company, purchased this Italianate house. Benton made such lavish changes that the Titusville Herald wrote, "...interior is said... to be full of surprises and fine effects." But oil heir and 1896 Princeton graduate John H. Scheide added the fireproof wing in the 1920s for this library, including three Gutenberg Bibles and handwritten works by Shakespeare and George Washington. In 1959, his son gave the books to Princeton and the house to the Titusville Area School District.
[Illustration captions, clockwise from top center, read]
[no caption, showing original Italianate style]
C. 1890's
John H. Scheide's fireproof library appears at the right side of the school district building.
Erected by Oil Region Alliance and City of Titusville.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 41° 37.764′ N, 79° 40.507′ W. Marker is in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in Crawford County. It is at the intersection of Washington
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania and in Greater Erie. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First Presbyterian Church (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Benson Memorial Library (about 500 feet away); The Abbott Home (about 500 feet away); Hyde Home, 1864 (about 600 feet away); William White Building (about 600 feet away); St. James Episcopal Church, 1863 (about 600 feet away); Joseph Seep Home (about 700 feet away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. William H. Scheide preservation project open house in Titusville November 15 (2018). Your Erie website entry (Submitted on August 30, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Oil Region Alliance acquires Scheide home (2018). Go Erie website entry (Submitted on August 30, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. William H. Scheide Dies at 100 (Town Topics, 2014). (Submitted on August 30, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 29, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 673 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 30, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
