Near Oil City in Venango County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
McClintock's Story
Owners and Producers from 1859 to 2000
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 4, 2019
1. McClintock's Story Marker
Brewer, Watson & Company signed the first oil lease for land with Hamilton McClintock in 1859 and began drilling in 1860. On May 6, 2000, the oil well they drilled in 1861 was accepted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in recognition of the worlds most significant industry.
1860 - Brewer, Watson & Company hired J.D. Angier to kick down a well, stipulating that drilling must commence before August 1861, and reach 200 feet without delay.
1865 - McClintock Petroleum Company owned the well and hired John and Joe Bowers to operate it.
1892 - Joseph E. Robinson and William Cochran purchased McClintock Well for $13,500. Robin bought out Cochran and formed Robinson Oil Company.
1927 - Brundred Oil Corporation bought Robinson Oils leases with 92 wells.
1952 - Quaker State Corporation bought Brundred Oil
1995 - Well ownership was temporarily from Quaker State to The Colonel, Inc. (now Friends of Drake Well). Augie Holtz and the the PA independent Petroleum Producers kept it pumping.
2000 - Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission accepted McClintock Well. State Representative Scott Hutchinson described the acquisition as a major initiative in preserving the development of the worlds most significantindustry.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 41° 27.609′ N, 79° 41.49′ W. Marker is near Oil City, Pennsylvania, in Venango County. It is on Waitz Road. Marker is 250 yards west of PA 8 just across railroad tracks. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oil City PA 16301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: McClintock Well #1 (here, next to this marker); H. McClintock Farm (within shouting distance of this marker); Oldest Producing Oil Well (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Henry R. Rouse (1823-1861) (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rynd Farm (approx. 1½ miles away); Col. Francis "Gabby" Gabreski (approx. 1½ miles away); McClintock-Steele-Waitz House (approx. 1.6 miles away); Charles Lockhart (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oil City.
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 4, 2019
2. McClintock Well
Photographed by Steve Stoessel, May 4, 2019
3. Oil Creek
Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2019, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 905 times since then and 64 times this year. Last updated on December 27, 2025, by Mark St. Martin of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 8, 2019, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
