For those of you desiring to read through the entire "1896 Derrick Souvenir Book", congratulations.  But for the rest of us, here is a list of the most recommended sections for reading.  After you've covered these, then you may wish to go back a read the rest of the book.  Here I have highlighted some of the more interesting sections of the book, especially those sections that interested me as they not only highlight some of the early history of Oil City, but also provide information on the early men and businesses that were still in business when I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s.

The 1896 Derrick Souvenir Book Recommended Reading List

•     Oil City Past and Present 3-11

•     Petroleum Reviewed 11-16

•     First White Settler in Oildom 17

•     Its Fame Reaches Germany 18

•     Franklin & Titusville 18

•     Antiquity of Oil Pits 18

•     Marketing Oil In Jugs 19

•     How Oil Creek Got Its Name 20

•     William L. Lay 31

•     McClintockville 32

•     John W. Waits 33

•     William James Breene 38

•     Oakwood Rose Gardens 42

•     A Beautiful Structure 44

•     The Belles Lettres Club 47

•     Oil City Boat Club 61

•     The Krammer Wagon Co. 65

•     An Old & Reliable Firm 66

•     Kern & Company 71

•     West End Bottling Works 72

•     Welker & Maxwell 73

•     J. R. Gates and Sons 75

•     The H. G. Rush Barrel Works 78

•     South Side Greenhouses (The Deyoe Flower shop located at the north end of the State Street Bridge) 79

•     The Arlington Hotel 97

•     Oil City Trust Co. 99

•     Caldwell & Borland 103

•     The Derrick 106