Oil Industry

How the oil industry began in Titusville, Pennsylvania on August 27, 1859.
Edwin Drake discovered oil on August 27,1859 near historic Pithole City, Pennsylvania. (located near Oil City), which is famous for its oil beds. Where the original well once stood now stands the Drake well museum which there is a full size replica of his engine house. If Edwin drake would of patented his driving pipe he would have been the richest man in the oil business at the time because the driving pipe is what makes its all possible.

The first oil well fire started on October 6, 1859 when a driller name Smith knocked over a oil lamp which burnt down the oil rig. The fire severely injured Drake and he later died in Bethlehem, Pa. In1880 Drake's body was exhumed and brought to Titusville, where it was re-interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in 1902. Henry R. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive erected a monument to Edwin Drake in the cemetery.

Oil and Clarion County
The first time that oil was produced in Clarion County was 1866. After the oil boom ended Clarion County lost some of its oil business, but what mostly helped the industry was Edwin Drake (who had a oil well in Titusville). From 1866-1877, the oil industry has risen in Clarion County, to make it one of the wealthiest counties in Pennsylvania. In the graph below it contrasts the price of oil from the dates of: 1866-1877.

Year	Number of Barrels	Price of Barrels	Year	Number of Barrels	Price of Barrels
1866	8 Barrels	No Price	1872	3,000 Barrels	$3.75
1867	20 Barrels	No Price	1873	4,000 Barrels	$1.25
1868	80 Barrels	No Price	1874	4,500 Barrels	$0.97
1869	100 Barrels	No Price	1875	5,000 Barrels	$1.30
1870	200 Barrels	$6.00	1876	6,000 Barrels	$1.80
1871	500 Barrels	$5.00	1877	6,500 Barrels	$2.10

The cost for producing a barrel of oil was about a dollar, the average amount of barrels that where produced was around seven to eight barrels per well. The cost of drilling a well in 1870 was around $5,000 dollars, but in 1877, it had dropped to around $4,000. The oil belt, which ran west of the Clarion River, is where most of the oil came from.

A sand-rock belt was found at Brady’s bend in 1866,with some oil in it, which leads to the river at parkers landing. It was not until 1870 that the search for the limits of this sand-rock on the north-east, and south west line, extended it to the hills at lower Edinburgh , back of Parker and to the mouth of the Clarion river. On the north-east, Petersburg, Antwerp, Turkey city, Beaver creek and on the south-west, Petrolia, Karns City, and Millerstown. After leaving Karns City, the belt seems to divide into two well defined and separate beds, known as the east and west belts, one of which has been prolonged to St .Jo. The belt extends over three miles in Clarion Country.

Sinking and Casting Wells
Some major advancements in drilling oil were made in this area. Casting which makes getting oil possible was founded in Richland township by Victor Gretter. (In the picture above.) The driving pipe that was most common was about eight inches in diameter, and it was made of one inch thick cast iron driven down into the earth, in sections of eight feet in length, connected with wrought iron bands then it was heated and shrunk on.

Putting down a thin iron pipe six inches in diameter below the lowest fresh water vein, retaining the surface water by a water packer between the outside of the pipe, and the wall of the well, enables the driller to proceed with his work without any annoyance from this source. When the well is completed to leave his tubing in or take out of the well at pleasure, still keeping the water permanently from the oil-bearing rock. In fact the entire operation of drilling and pumping is carried on the rough casing, and not until a well is finally abandoned is the casing drawn.

Drake Well Museum and Park
This museum is full of the history of the Oil Industry of our area and region. See how it all happened! And see where, in 1859, Edwin L. Drake drilled the world’s first oil well. They have a replica of Edwin Drake’s engine house. Inside of the museum you can see orientation videos, exhibits, operating oil field machinery, and historic buildings.

Works cited :
J.A.Caldwell. Caldwell’s Illustrated Historical Combination Atlas of Clarion co Pennsylvania. :Walsworth Publishing company Don mills,inc,1982