Plans are progressing for the "Preserving Victorian Collections and Architecture Conference" which will be held May 8 & 9, 2009, in Titusville.  Formerly known as the "Victorian Architecture and its Preservation Conference," the "Preserving Victorian Collections and Architecture Conference" is now in its tenth year.  It is coordinated by the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism. The Titusville Historical Society and the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville are assisting with planning and hosting this Conference. 

   Seminars and guided tours showcasing Titusville's diverse Victorian-era buildings and structures will be held.  Workshops will be offered on preserving artifacts, documents and collections as well as maintaining historic buildings.  Most of the workshops will be held on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville.  The only exception is the dessert reception with Catherine M. V. Thuro on the evening of Friday, May 8, which will be held at Perry Street Station, located at 409 South Perry Street in Titusville.  Mrs. Thuro is a fellow of the Corning Museum, as well as a researcher, writer and consultant in the field of kerosene lighting.  She has authored three books on the subject, including Oil Lamps, the Kerosene Era in North America.  Those attending the dessert reception may take one kerosene lamp for an on-the-spot evaluation by Mrs. Thuro.  
   Other highlights of the Preservation Conference are visits to local Victorian-era homes that are currently listed for sale, blacksmithing demonstrations at Drake Well Park, a Victorian Tea and Tour of the Ashley residence in Titusville, and the awarding of the 2009 Oil Heritage Region Historic Preservation Awards at a banquet on Saturday evening at Pitt Campus. 

   For additional information about the Conference, contact Toni Kresinski, Events Manager, at (814) 677-3152, ext. 110.