Last updated: January 31, 2021
Place
Gasholder
Rebecca Hayward
Quick Facts
Location:
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Natural gas was found on the Garfield farm in 1882, "broke through into a resevoir that sent all the tools flyinh into the air with a noise like thunder."- Dr.Robison. Lucretia remarked there was "gas enough to supply the town." Construction of a well and derrick began shortly after the discovery.
There is no record that specifies that a building was built for tank, so it may have been a building used for the orchards. By 1885, Mrs. Garfeild was using gas inside the home for cooking, lighting and heating. In 1892 a new line was dug because the original was not supplying enought for the property. The well itself was 820 feet deep when completed and seemed to supply enough gas to "run the World's Fair", according to Uncle Joe Rudolph.
In 1893, the construction a new building began, the Carriage House and Horse Barn. Plans for this new building included the construction of a stone-walled polygonal gas holder connected by a straight fire wall partition. Joseph Stanley-Brown, Lucretia's son-in-law, wrote this on the new structure, "around the gas urn would afford opportunity for more efficient treatment." The gas well was tested again in 1901 and eventually emptied in 1910.
Today the gas holder, attached to the Carriage House and Horse Barn, stand as a testament to the every changes of a working farm in the late 19th Century. Visitors are welcome to look inside the gas holder and view the gas well used by the Garfield family.
There is no record that specifies that a building was built for tank, so it may have been a building used for the orchards. By 1885, Mrs. Garfeild was using gas inside the home for cooking, lighting and heating. In 1892 a new line was dug because the original was not supplying enought for the property. The well itself was 820 feet deep when completed and seemed to supply enough gas to "run the World's Fair", according to Uncle Joe Rudolph.
In 1893, the construction a new building began, the Carriage House and Horse Barn. Plans for this new building included the construction of a stone-walled polygonal gas holder connected by a straight fire wall partition. Joseph Stanley-Brown, Lucretia's son-in-law, wrote this on the new structure, "around the gas urn would afford opportunity for more efficient treatment." The gas well was tested again in 1901 and eventually emptied in 1910.
Today the gas holder, attached to the Carriage House and Horse Barn, stand as a testament to the every changes of a working farm in the late 19th Century. Visitors are welcome to look inside the gas holder and view the gas well used by the Garfield family.