This get together is to bring people to this area of Moraine State Park. It is a hidden gem that many do not know about. There is a hiking trail nearby with a few caches on it you can grab if you want. There is parking at the well area or a larger parking area on your way in if you would like to walk back using the trail or the road.
In the early 1900's Butler County was the petroleum capital of the world. The oil in this area is a paraffin based oil. It contains very little sulfur and no tars and asphalts. It burns environmentally friendly when done efficiently. Some of the most desired lubricating oils are distilled from PA crude oil.
When Moraine state park was built the oil wells in the Muddy Creek Basin were plugged, strip mines were back filled, pipe lines were removed, pump houses were dismantled and a general clean up was done. One oil well, number 19 on the Marshall-Barr tract, was spared to become an operating oil well exhibit. The well was plugged at 100ft deep and the engine house was left alone. The project was not completed though due to a lack of funds.
In 1995 a group of volunteers and the Steam Engine and Old Equipment Association of Portersville got together to clear the overgrowth of vegetation, cut down trees, and reassemble pumping equipment. After over forty years of neglect the Bessemer engine was rebuilt and it's engine house repaired. The site was opened for the first time for the Lake Arthur Regatta in 2000. In 2005 the site volunteers received the DCNR Bureau award for restoring the site and making it a valued attraction in a state park.
The event will feature the Bessemer Engine oil well display. Tours through the display are guided throughout the day, should cachers wish to view the workings of an old-time oil well.