The PA Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) recently hired Sarah Ann Bell as the new curator for Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville, including associated sites like Historic Pithole City and McClintock Well #1. Bell will oversee the museum’s collections, preservation, management, and interpretation, and assist visiting researchers.

Bell has previous experience at the Museum, interning there in 2018 while studying at Slippery Rock University. In this role, she learned curatorial and archival methods from former curator Susan Beates. Returning in July 2021, Bell was contracted as the Museum Collection Inventory Specialist for one year, conducting an inventory of the museum’s 2D and 3D artifacts. Through these positions, she gained familiarity with the collections and their historical significance in Pennsylvania’s early oil industry.

Growing up in Franklin, Bell always had an interest in history. “History has always been such a passion for me; the more I learn, the more I understand about myself and life in general,” says Bell.

“I encourage everyone to take a little bit of time out of their lives each day to look at history and appreciate what those before us have done and how their actions have affected our lives.”

Bell has a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies with a concentration in English from Clarion University, a Master of Arts in History from Slippery Rock University, and a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Kentucky. As an undergraduate at Clarion University, Bell published a book entitled Franklin through Arcadia Publishing for their Images of America series. She is excited to bring her knowledge and appreciation of the history of the early oil industry in Pennsylvania to Drake Well Museum.

Congratulations Sarah!

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s December 2023 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.