Franklin Heavy Crude
The oil business was still in its infancy when producers started to notice a difference in the petroleum they were pumping. In Franklin where traces of that “nasty Seneca oil” had crept into water wells along French Creek, the success of Colonel Edwin L. Drake’s well was quick to spawn interest. James Evans, a blacksmith, whose 17-foot water well had a strong oily aroma, immediately started fashioning tools to put down a well on his property near the creek
He and his son, Henry, set out on the task of kicking down a new well and its success was reported in the February 1, 1860 issue of the Venango Spectator, a weekly newspaper published in Franklin. The story captured the imagination of many, illustrating the promise oil held for the common man. An expression, “Pa (or Dad’s) Struck Ile,” uttered by Ann Evans, daughter of James, also struck a high note and was quoted in newspaper accounts around the world. It was also repeated in three early oil region songs: “I’ve Struck Ile,” “Pa Has Struck Ile” and “Have You Struck Ile?”
The liquid from the Evans’ well was a fine dark green color, a heavy oil of 31 degrees gravity, smooth as silk and free of grit. At first it was dipped off in a bucket, averaging 25 barrels a day, then a pump was added and production tripled before leveling off to 40 barrels a day. The lubricating properties of this oil were soon noted and frequently it was used directly from the wellhead to service machinery.
More than 100 wells were drilled within the borough limits of Franklin during the 1860s and early 1870s. Heavy crude oil sold for a premium price, reaching a brief high of $20 a barrel. The Franklin Heavy Oil field spread out along the French Creek and Sugar Creek valleys with most of the larger wells located on Point Hill, Galloway and the Patchel Run areas.
Point Hill, a formidable steep bluff near the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River, was not tapped until the late 1860s because speculators were at first convinced that oil was found in the valleys. By 1870 when Ralph Keeler of the weekly magazine, “Every Saturday,” visited the region, he noted: “The hill is now the center of oil producing and oil excitement about Franklin. A year ago the whole hill could have been bought for $1,500; today it could not be bought for half a million.”
Derricks soon covered this 40-acre hillside and one well sparked one of the oil region’s most fascinating legends. As liquid started to rise in a new well, workmen were struck by its unusual appearance. They continued to pump and tales abound that they tasted the stuff and were amazed at its potable properties. Whether that part of the tale is true or not, it was a fact that the drilling apparatus had penetrated a cave at the base of the hill where Philip Grossman had his beer vault, storing the beer which was made at his brewery on the opposite side of French Creek. Three large vats were pumped dry and Mr. Grossman filed a claim against the well owners to cover damages for his lost beer. The oil well that flowed beer has been the subject of cartoons and trivia questions since the 1881 incident was reported.
The heavy oil was found in the first sand at a shallow depth. Although yields were small, drillers seldom hit dry holes and the wells were noted for their longevity. The last segregation of the Franklin Heavy Crude was for the Wolf’s Head Refinery in Reno which processed about 6,000 barrels annually into the early 1970s. Since then the crude has been mingled with other oils from the region.
Written by Carollee Michener.