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Ferry Landing and Oil Derrick

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1817. 1911. Northwest end of Catherine St., at the Ohio River
  • (West Virginia Collection within the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • (West Virginia Collection within the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

The Sistersville Ferry, established in 1817, still operates from the foot of a brick-paved landing at the river end of Catherine Street. An open steel-framed oil derrick dating from 1911, representative of countless derricks once found all around town, stands next to the landing. Named “Little Sister,” the 84-foot standard rig replaced an earlier wooden derrick. It struck oil-rich sand when it reached a depth of 1,481 feet and continued to produce into the 1960s.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.
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Data

What's Nearby

816 Main Street
809 Main Street
818 Main Street
South Main Street Houses
718 Main Street

Citation

S. Allen Chambers Jr., "Ferry Landing and Oil Derrick", [Sistersville, West Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-TY5.

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