2008 Celebrate Media Release April 4, 2008
Technology Expert Launches New Book on Lambton Oil Heritage
No one has ever deeply studied the ingenious technology of Lambton’s oil pioneers and shown how it contrasts with those of the U.S….until now.
On Saturday, April 19, Dr. Emory Kemp of the University of West Virginia will be launching his new book, 19th Century Petroleum Technology in North America. The book not only describes and lavishly illustrates the early Canadian technology; it also places these developments in the broader context of the world.
The event takes place at Petrolia’s Victoria Hall at 5 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend, free of admission.
For the past dozen years Emory Kemp has been returning to the oil fields of Oil Springs and The Oil Museum of Canada. He is the founder of the university’s History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology program and in 1999 he conducted a six-week field study at Fairbank Oil Properties in Oil Springs. Bringing university staff, program students and Parks Canada people, they studied the equipment which has been continually used since Fairbank Oil was founded in 1861.
Dr. Kemp organized a second six-week field school in 2001 to further study Fairbank Oil as well as Baines Machine Shop in Petrolia. This group included members from The Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, Parks Canada, Dr. Kemp’s students, and knowledgeable volunteers. This research helped lay the foundations for Fairbank Oil Properties and The Oil Museum of Canada in Oil Springs to apply for National Historic Site status. Both officially became National Historic Sites in November, 2006.
These research projects were described in The Story of Fairbank Oil by Patricia McGee and Dr. Kemp was a guest speaker when that book was launched at The Oil Museum of Canada in 2004. At that time, he publicly spoke about Oil Springs having all the criteria to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “In my mind,” he said, “the roots of the world’s modern petroleum industry inevitably leads one back to Oil Springs, in 1858.”
"Dr. Kemp's work is amazing," says Robert Tremain, curator of Lambton County Museums. "He inspires us all. Dr. Kemp underlines how important it is to recognize, protect and designate our oil heritage. It's clear we need to do this at every level - from our local heritage committee right up to the federal and global level."
In the introduction of his new book he writes, “Little-known in the history of the 19th century petroleum history is the role of oil development in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. This predates, by several years, the rise of the oil industry in western Pennsylvania centred on Drake’s Well. It is not merely a case of being the pioneers in terms of modern industry, but also the location of the ‘jerker line’ rod system for pumping a large number of wells from a single source and the Canadian ‘rod system’ for drilling wells.”
The 182-page book includes more than 100 drawings and photos. It was designed and printed by Scott Marten of Brown’s Printing in Petrolia. It sells for $35 and is available at The Oil Museum of Canada, The Bookkeeper in Sarnia, and in Petrolia it will be available at VanTuyl and Fairbank Hardware Store and Contagious Crafts/Sears.
The launch of the book is part of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) symposium being held in Oil Springs and Petrolia on April 19 and 20. ICOMOS is an international non-governmental organization of professionals dedicated to the conservation of the world’s historic sites and monuments.
The symposium is part of the 2008 Celebrate calendar of events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first oil well to become a commercial business. More information can be found at www.2008celebrate.com .
For more information contact Pat McGee Pat.mcgee@ciaccess.com (519)834-2677.
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