Emlenton in Venango County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

East End Commerce: Planing Mill & Foundry

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 7, 2025

1. East End Commerce: Planing Mill & Foundry Marker

Left Photo
Uriah Sloan's planing mill and yards, 1914. Steeple of old Presbyterian Church is visible in background. By then the church, no longer a place of worship, was used for milling and storage.

Center Photo
Emlenton Foundry. D.A. Crawford, manufacturer of plows, plow points, castings, stoves, grate bars, and a general line of job work. Goods delivered free of charge. Main Street, Emlenton, PA.

Right Top Photo
David Crawford was an inventor, always looking for the solution to a problem. In this picture, his son Lloyd unveils a new gas engine.

Right Bottom Photo
Crawford's Visible Gas Pump. "See what you get - get what you see." As with all his other inventions, the pump was never patented.

Inscription. The Emlenton Planing Mill, 309 Main Street, is the second oldest business in continual operation in town. Started in 1866 by several investors, the business became the sole property of Uriah Sloan in 1878. A disastrous fire leveled its structures in the 1940s, but the business was soon rebuilt, supplying building needs to the area.

The Emlenton (Crawford) Foundry, begun in 1854, moved to this site (212 Main Street) in 1873. Ever changing with the times, David Crawford and his sons produced machinery and supplies to suit the economic evolution of the area. Farming and household tools lent way to oil well supplies; a machine shop was added, enabling them to make replacement parts for early motorcars. The building was razed in 1977.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 41° 10.645′ N, 79° 42.293′ W. Marker is in Emlenton, Pennsylvania, in Venango County. It is on Main Street east of 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Emlenton PA 16373, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

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 Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: East End Commerce: Milling Co. & Carriage Works (here, next to this marker); The Emlenton Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Elegance Amidst Commerce

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(about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gas Industry - Early Beginnings (about 700 feet away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); James Bennett - Premier Entrepeneur (approx. 0.2 miles away); H.B. Mitchell - An Emlenton Success Story (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Emlenton.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 7, 2025

2. East End Commerce: Planing Mill & Foundry Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2025, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 79 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 8, 2025, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.