--> Abstract: Sistersville, West Virginia: 1893 Oil Capital of the World, by P. J. Johns, L. D. Woodfork, D. G. Patchen, and K. Lee Avary; #90950 (1996).

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Abstract: Sistersville, West Virginia: 1893 Oil Capital of the World

Patricia J. Johns, Larry D. Woodfork, Douglas G. Patchen, Katharine Lee Avary

By the early 1890's, production had peaked and was declining in the Pennsylvania oil fields. Drilling activity shifted south into West Virginia. The Sistersville oil field, discovered in 1891, became the "oil capital of the world" in 1893. For a brief period of time, Sistersville, West Virginia experienced its "moment of fame" with all of the attendant growth, excitement, glamour, prosperity, turmoil, rowdiness, disillusionment and eventual decline typical of "oil booms."

The geology of the Sistersville pool as well as aspects of the history and culture of the town during the boom are portrayed on the poster by maps, photographs and narrative. The history and heritage of that bygone era are also celebrated annually at the Sistersville Oil and Gas Festival and memorialized in The Oil and Gas Museum, Parkersburg, WV.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90950©1996 AAPG GCAGS 46th Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas