While prehistoric cultures had certainly encountered the Burning Springs near the Kanawha River about eight miles east of Charleston, the first known European Americans to document them did not occur until 1773. They weren’t real springs but rather holes in the ground where natural gas came out, making the water look like it was boiling. If you lit them, they would burn with a bright flame.

In 1841, William Tompkins hit a big gas flow while drilling for salt nearby. He used the gas to pump water, light his work area, and boil saltwater. He was credited as the first person in the U.S. to use natural gas for manufacturing, and others soon copied him.