Oldest Continuously Producing Oil Well: The McClintock Well No. 1

April 22, 2022

Rouseville, Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States--Still going after 153 years and quietly producing less than half a barrel a day,located on Waitz Road off Route 8 just north of Oil City, Pennsylvania, at about 70 miles north of Pittsburgh, a dirt road leads to a solitary oil well: McClintock Well #1, the world’s oldest continually producing oil well (Oldest continually operating oil well), according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

The McClintock Well is managed by the nearby Drake Well Museum, helping to preserve the story of the start of the oil industry.

"Today, the well doesn’t run every day but is run regularly throughout the year. The oil produced is sold to help with the costs of preserving the site," the Uncovering PA reports.

"Dug in August 1861 on the Hamilton McClintock Farm, the well struck oil more than 600 feet below the surface. Initially, the well produced 175 barrels of oil a day. However, like all oil wells, it eventually began to dry up. By 1920, it was producing only half a barrel of oil per day.

"What makes this spot unique is that it continued to produce oil since then which makes it the world’s oldest, continually-producing oil well."

Rouseville is a borough in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 523 at the 2010 census. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km2), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.4 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (2.15%) is water.

McClintock No. 1 Well was originally drilled by J.D. Angier and owned by Brewer, Watson, and Co.

"The famous well is tied to one of the region's most interesting characters: John W. Steele, known as Coal Oil Johnny, who lived near the well and enjoyed its spoils," the Explore PA History reports.

"Steele was the adopted son of Culbertson McClintock and his wife. McClintock died before the oil rush began and it fell to his wife to open the land for speculation after Edwin Drake had struck oil nearby. She leased a portion of the farm for drilling, and No. 1 and other producing wells soon became the news of the Oil Creek valley. By 1862, McClintockville became the center of the oil region, located twelve miles from Titusville. Observers described the area as similar to gold rush settlements in California. Hundreds of rough-board shanties were quickly erected and carpenters constantly worked to build more. No thought was given to permanence.

"Widow McClintock rapidly accumulated a fortune. Upon her death in 1864, Steele inherited the farm and $200,000. His income from the well was estimated at $2000 per day. Steele traveled extensively and squandered his inherited fortune. The tale of foolishly spent wealth became an archetype for oilmen. Since his wealth had derived from petroleum, the press referred to Steele as Coal Oil Johnny.

Photo above: It was 1860 when John Mather set up his studio in Titusville, PA and began documenting the rise of the oil industry. Seen here is one of the most iconic images of the time. Photo: Drake Well Museum and Park.

McClintock Well #1 changed ownership a number of times. Owners included:

Brewer, Watson and Company - 1860
McClintock Petroleum Company - 1865
Robinson Oil Company - 1892
Brundred Oil Corporation - 1927
Quaker State Corporation - 1952
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission - 2000

Photo above: The Drake Well Museum Replica was built in 1945 and is a board for board copy of Col. Drake's engine house and derrick. Photo: Drake Well Museum and Park

McClintock Well #1 is located on Waitz Road off Route 8 just north of Oil City, Pennsylvania.

The McClintock Well #1 can be found at the following coordinates: 41.460031, -79.691479.

The McClintock Well #1 interpretive area and trailhead are open dawn to dusk year-round. Admission to the site is free.

Summer Hours (April 1 - October 31)
Sunday: 10am-4pm
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 10am-4pm
Thursday: 10am-4pm
Friday: 10am-4pm
Saturday: 10am-4pm

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the longest drilled oil well is BD-04-A, with a total length of 40,320 ft MDRT. It was completed in May 2008 by Maersk Oil Qatar and Qatar Petroleum, in the Al-Shaheen offshore oil field off the coast of Qatar.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the First oil wells; it goes back to 347 AD, when the Chinese attached rudimentary drill bits to ‘pipes’ made from bamboo. Drilling was achieved to depths of up to 240 m using this method.