David Beaty (26 October 1811 – 3 October 1889) discovered

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

at his home in

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

, Pennsylvania in 1875. He was reportedly searching for a deposit of

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

that he could use to heat his home. After this discovery, Warren's economy became almost completely geared toward the production of oil, and later to the refining of oil.

Legacy

Beaty Middle School as it appeared in 2006. New windows have been added in late 2011/early 2012. Warren still is home to Beaty Middle School, which operates partially on funds still available from David Beaty's estate.

References

1811 births 1889 deaths People from Warren County, Pennsylvania People from Beaver County, Pennsylvania 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1810s-stub