Golden Oil Company, Lot 410 Lease, Sheffield Field, Donaldson, Warren County, PA

Significance: Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the petroleum industry, signified by the drilling of Edwin Drake's well near Titusville in 1859. Many widely used techniques of drilling and pumping oil were first developed here in the effort to recover the high-quality "Pennsylvania Grade" oil. One particularly important, and successful, technique perfected in Pennsylvania was the "central power" pumping of numerous low-production wells to economically recover small amounts of oil. This method of production flourished between ca. 1890 and ca. 1950, and today there are only scattered remains of the once common pumping technique. The Golden Oil Company, Lot 410 Lease is an excellent example of a smaller, centrally powered pumping operation.

Survey number: HAER PA-440

Building/structure dates: ca. 1920 Initial Construction

pumping machinery oil wells petroleum industry donaldson golden oil golden oil company lease sheffield field sheffield field warren warren county pennsylvania allegheny national forest bessemer company paul boxley michael w caplinger justine christianson scott daley edwin drake eric elmer historic american engineering record kara hurst arturs lapins lilly machine works christopher h marston kevin mcclung john t nicely southwestern pennsylvania heritage commission wc norris company west virginia university institute for the history of technology and industrial archaeology photo ultra high resolution high resolution united states history library of congress

1950

Library of Congress

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