South Penn Oil Company, Lockwood Warrant 2921 Lease, Wardwell Field, Warren, Warren County, PA

Significance: Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the petroleum industry, signified by the drilling of Edwin Drake's well near Titusville in 1859. Many widely used techniques of drilling and pumping oil were first developed here in the effort to recover the high-quality "Pennsylvania Grade" oil. One particularly important, and successful, technique perfected in Pennsylvania was "central power" pumping of numerous low-production wells to economically recover small amounts of oil. This method of production flourished between ca. 1890 and ca. 1950, and today there are only scattered remains of this once common pumping technique. The Mead Central Power is an excellent, rare, intact example of the mature, highly capitalized era of central powers. Furthermore, its octagon-shaped powerhouse is a refinement unique to northwestern Pennsylvania.
Survey number: HAER PA-439
Building/structure dates: 1909 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: ca. 1960 Subsequent Work