Tidewater Pipe Co.
Keating Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Opposite here was station no. 1 of the first pipe line to carry oil across the Alleghenies. Built by an early competitor of Standard Oil, it began May 28, 1879, to pump oil 109 miles to Williamsport, Pa.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1879, at the height of the northwestern Pennsylvania oil boom, the Tidewater Pipe Company achieved something engineers had doubted was possible: pumping crude oil over the Allegheny Mountains through a long-distance pipeline. Beginning May 28 of that year, its line pushed oil 109 miles east to Williamsport, deliberately breaking the transport stranglehold that John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil held through the railroads. Station No. 1 stood opposite this spot, the first pumping point in a bold experiment that proved oil could flow uphill and across a continent.
Why it matters
Tidewater's over-the-mountain pipeline broke Standard Oil's grip on oil transport and pioneered the long-distance pipeline network that still moves America's energy today.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Food & drink
- Subway11.7 mi away · 109 Oswayo Street, Shinglehouse, PA
- Sprague's Maple Farms11.9 mi away · 1048 Portville-Obi Road, Portville, NY
- Four Mile Brewing, LLC13.3 mi away · 202 East Green Street, Olean, NY
- Old Library Restaurant13.5 mi away · 116 South Union Street, Olean, NY
- McDonald's13.8 mi away · 2510 West State Street, Olean, NY
- Perkins13.8 mi away · 2728 West State Street, Olean, NY
Places to stay
- Old Library Inn B&B13.5 mi away · 120 South Union Street
- Best Western Plus University Inn13.8 mi away · 3057 Route 417, Olean, NY
- Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Olean/Allegany14.2 mi away · 3234 West State Street, Olean, NY
- Holiday Inn Express14.2 mi away · 101 Main Street, Olean, NY
- Hampton Inn & Suites14.3 mi away · 110 Jack Murphy Boulevard, Olean, NY
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Olean14.4 mi away · 3270 West State Street, Olean, NY
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Related events
- · Completion of the first oil pipeline across the Alleghenies
Themes & tags
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