It was an ordinary day. Looking through a book I bought years ago titled "Pennsylvania's Historic Places." Paid $3 for the book at a book sale at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. I have used the coffee-table book for a few of my stories in the past. Thought it was time to pass it along, but decided to open it one more time to see if I had missed any good stories it may hold. On page 158 of the 171 page book was a story titled "Drake Well Museum." One of the few things I still remember from my American History class in 9th grade with Mr. Kilkuskie was the discovery of oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859. It was August of that year that a "crazy man" from New England, who was known to wear a black suit and top hat, began looking for oil.
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| Post card showing Edwin Drake and his oil well. |
Along Oil Creek near Titusville, a steam engine whirred in a nearby clearing. The sound of the bit pounding into solid bedrock didn't seem to cause any concern for the residents of the town. "Colonel" Edwin L. Drake had been searching for oil for 15 months and locals weren't sure why he continued with his wild venture. Oil was not unknown in the area, but finding large amounts of it seemed to be unrealistic. Mr. Drake's blacksmith and driller, William "Billy" Smith, had often seen it bubble up with natural gas in springs, so it was suspected that there may be much more. Years before, Seneca Indians had been seen with a thick ooze smeared on their bodies. So, Drake knew something was there.  |
| Another post card showing Col. Drake |
Drake was a former train conductor who had been hired by James Townsend of the Seneca Oil Company to find oil in quantity. At the time whale oil was used for lighting homes, but was becoming expensive. On that fateful day, Billy was steadying a drill as it pound into the earth. It was powered by steam as it entered the earth that day. As the drill ground down, Billy lined the shaft with wood. That didn't keep out the ground water so he used an iron pipe. He listened intently as the drill cut through sandstone inside the iron pipe. The next day he noticed a dark liquid and pulled up a sample in a tin cup.  |
| Mr. Drake and his oil well. |
Oil! A day later people came to see the discovery. Mr. Drake went searching for barrels and ended up using whiskey barrels. Soon they were getting 20 barrels a day. The oil boon lasted six-years. Prospectors came from all over to try and buy land in the area. What at one time was a settlement of three log cabins swelled to a town of more than 15,000 people and 57 hotels. Not long before, they getting 2,000 barrels a day. From this small town came the world's first successful oil pipeline which was laid by Samuel Van Syckel.  |
| A post card showing his oil well. |
The line ran from the well to a railhead which revolutionized the transport of bulk liquids. But, the oil finally dried up and by 1866 many of the wooden houses and structures built by those who came to grab the oil, began to disappear. Neither Drake or Billy grew wealthy. Eventually Drake's derrick used for drilling burned and his replacement wasn't in service long before the wells went dry.  |
| Pennsylvania Historical Marker |
"Colonel" Drake died in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1880. Drake had given a start to a huge industry. Rather interesting that one savior was born in Bethlehem while another died years later in another Bethlehem. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. |
| A pin showing Col. Edwin Drake |
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| Even had matchbook covers telling about the oil well. |
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