April 5, 2025
When I think of the oil industry, I tend to think of places like Texas and Oklahoma. However, the oil industry had its humble beginnings in Pennsylvania in the 1850's. Whale oil had become expensive, and the search for an alternative oil for lamps was underway.
Samuel Kier distilled kerosene from crude oil. Kerosene was much more stable than other "burning fluids" attempts for lighting lamps. Zoom in on the tombstone in the photo below to get a glimpse why kerosene was viewed favorably.
So the question was whether you could find and produce enough crude oil to make kerosene for oil lamps. The answer was a resounding yes as Edwin Drake discovered near Titusville in 1859.
Thank you Uncle Dave for the suggestion to stop here.
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| Think the family was a little bitter? |
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| The first well |
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| Replica of well housing |
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