Rep. Kelly's bill to rename Titusville Post Office passes House Oversight & Accountability Committee, advances to full House vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly's (PA-16) bill to rename the Titusville Post Office building after the father of the American oil industry, Edwin Drake, passed the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The legislation now proceeds to the House floor and awaits a final vote.

The bill, H.R. 7417, would rename the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 135 W. Spring St., to the Edwin L. Drake Post Office Building.

"I am so pleased to see the Edwin Drake Post Office Building bill advance through the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. I would like to thank my colleagues for their support in honoring this American pioneer," Rep. Kelly said. "Mr. Drake's invention led to a revolution that transformed the world and I am proud to cement his legacy in our nation's history."

On February 20, 2024, Rep. Kelly, joined by all 16 other Members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation, introduced bipartisan legislation to name the U.S. Post Office located at 135 W. Spring St in Titusville, Pennsylvania, as the "Edwin L. Drake Post Office Building".

You can read the full bill here.

BACKGROUND

In 1859, Edwin Drake became the first person to use an iron pipe to drill for oil. His "drive pipe" quickly produced between 20-40 barrels daily, using all the whiskey barrels in Titusville. Drake's oil well started the Pennsylvania oil rush in 1859. The Titusville oil well launched an economic revolution in Western Pennsylvania that would change economies worldwide.

Drake died in 1880, and rests in Titusville; the original tools used by Drake can be found at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville. Rep. Kelly's bill would rename Titusville's U.S. Post Office to the Edwin L. Drake Post Office Building.

In 2022, Rep. Kelly passed similar legislation to rename the Butler, Pennsylvania Post Office after Butler County native and Civil War hero Andrew Gomer Williams. In 2023, Kelly led the renaming ceremony for the Post Office, which is now officially named the Andrew Gomer Williams Post Office Building.