140th Anniversary of the discovery of natural gas

At Westinghouse Park, we say History Happens Here. Here's one reason why.

In the spring of 1884, George Westinghouse hired a drilling team to see if there happened to be any natural gas beneath his estate, Solitude.

Early on the morning of May 22, the drilling team broke into a large pocket of gas at just over 1500 feet deep, releasing a roaring, uncontrollable gusher of gas and fluids that blew off the top of the drilling rig and spewed into the sky. At the time, there was no way to stopper gas wells, but within a week, Westinghouse figured how to staunch the flow.

Less than one month later, the Pittsburgh Common Council was already debating a proposal Westinghouse had submitted to pipe gas under city streets to nearby customers. Over the coming years, Westinghouse designed and patented dozens of devices to make the use of gas safe, effective, and financially viable.

So, in numerous ways, the natural gas industry began that day in what is now Westinghouse Park.

To read more on the subject, check out this article from Western Pennsylvania History Magazine.