Show burning spring owned by george washington curiosity may have killed a cat but it also made george washington one of the first investors in natural gas property in 1775 he visited a tract near charleston W 7 va where a strange burning spring flames of escaping ens probably ignited by a water seek er who he came at night with a lantern attracted his attention although the father of our country could not have known it the property he bought was in the heart of a great natural glia gas field lie ile presented his property to the nation as a natural park the first well in this field however was not discovered until the early when two brothers david and joseph ruffner drilled et a PS 58 foot shaft for salt in the great kanawha valley of nast east virginia and opened up a gas well |