Oil & Gas Museum News

Museum Has Big Strike at Burning Springs

Oil Strike

Wellll Kinda - It did feel great when we bailed oil and got a whoosh of gas from a well that was first drilled in 1860. Daryl Perkins and his crew from Perkins Oil & Gas put their rig on the old Rathbone well and started working in November. First the site had to be prepared along the bank of the Little Kanawha on Route 5. The Department of Highways, partners with the museum in building the park did the work.

The rig used was Perkins 1948 Bucyrus-Erie 28L drilling rig, which looked like a new one. After setting the rig, the first step was to put a video camera in the well. What we saw was rotten pipe which was in fact a liner, a very crooked hole and we could only get the camera down 40 feet before we hit water. The object was to maintain the original integrity of the well as it was first drilled. So instead of drilling a new straight hole, we worked inside the crooked one. That meant using smaller and shorter tools. The inside of the hole was about 4 inches so we used 3 1/2 inch and 3 7/8 inch tools.

First off the trash that had been dropped in had to be cleaned out - block of wood, block of styrofoam and a lot of dirt. Then they got hung up on what we thought was 2 inch tubing, so we put a fishing tool in to get the tubing. No luck. After fishing around for a couple of days we finally figured out that we were working against the side of the crooked hole and had rolled up the casing. Once pushed aside, we had the same thing happen at 60 feet. Finally, we got through the obstructions and gas came out in force and with a roar and the tools went to bottom - which was 480 feet. I had guessed that they had drilled the original hole from 139 feet to over 500 or 600 - which was normal after the Civil War. We then started bailing the hole of water and with each bail, we brought out fresh crude oil. Got a couple of gallons. The gas settled down to a smooth flow of 16 psi which is enough to heat the cabin and power the gas engine which will eventually be used to pump the well.

The work was completed by cementing the well to 75 feet, putting in 1 1/2 inch tubing, pump and screens, polish rods, casing head, etc. Those donating materials, in addition to the Perkins, were Carl Heinrich, Reno, Ohio; Roger Riddle, Parkersburg Tool Company; McJunkin Appalachian Supply, Charleston; National-Oilwell, Parkersburg; Hildreth Supply, Spencer; Ken Miller Supply, Marietta; and Jim Morris, Creston Oil, Grantsville. Of course, Alvin Englke and the Department of Highways were always ready to help when needed - and they were needed.

We now wait for the pilings to be put in and filled so as to raise the well site above the normal flood stage. Next, and antique pump and pump house will be built just like it would have been back in the 1880s. When all this is done we can then pump the well and demonstrate how it works, and sell some oil.

Another major part of the project was filling in the 30 foot deep ravine across the highway from the well site. It took 450 truckloads of fill dirt and the highway had to be torn up for a new drain culvert. The parking lot will park about 10 cars and a tour bus. The Department of Highway crew, headed by Tom Fluharty also had to learn how to lay old bridge stones to form a catch basin. They did a wonderful job.

We should have something to celebrate sometime this summer and we will schedule a grand opening for this wonderful project.

California House

George Grow, who donated the Rathbone well property, has now donated the California House property on the Parkersburg-Staunton Turnpike (Rt 47). It was here that the original oil diggings were made back in 1820 and a flourishing oil business was in progress in those early days. The California House was built in 1851 by Bushrod Creel as a "way station" for travelers. He called it the California House because at that time many of the travelers were on their way to the California gold rush. Creel's famous comment when asked why he didn't go to California was that he was happy with his Virginia "black gold." It was here that Charles Shattuck and J.T. Johnston were drilling when Drake was drilling in Pennsylvania in August, 1859. General S. D. Karnes, who started the boom at Burning Springs, was visiting the California House when he heard of the Rathbones old water well at Burning Springs which was full of oil.

The foundation remains for the old building are still intact as is the stable and water well. We will start cleaning the site this summer but will wait for further work until the Burning Springs site is completed.

George Grow, we Thank you!