Rathbone Well
Posted by: 
two-bit Joe
N 38° 59.500 W 081° 19.200
17S E 472287 N 4315900
Rathbone Well Wirt County, WV
Waymark Code: WM17HM
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/12/2007
Views: 31
The first well in West Virginia drilled solely for petroleum was located near the mouth of Burning Springs Run. The well was drilled with a "spring pole" by the Rathbones and others from Parkersburg, begun in 1859, completed May, 1860. Produced at the rate of 100 barrels per day. In 1863, General Jones commanding Confederate forces set fire to the oil stored in tanks, barrels and boats, destroying in a day an estimated 300,000 barrels of oil.
Marker Title: Rathbone Well
Marker Location: WV 5 at Burning Springs
County or Independent City: Wirt
Marker Program Sponsor: West Virginia Historic Centennial Committee of the Oil and Natural Gas Industry - West Virginia Historic Commission 1963
Marker Number: Not listed
Web Site: Not listed
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