Historical Well of Noble County

by Brittany Perrine

Noble County is home to several significant historical sites that are easily accessible from most of southeast Ohio. One of these sites is the Thorla-McKee Well, the first oil well in North America. The well can still be seen today in its original condition and continues to give oil, gas and salt water in limited quantities.

The well is located in a small park just off SR 78, two miles east of Caldwell off exit 25. It is a peaceful, small park, no bigger than one acre, with two picnic tables shaded by towering trees. Toward the back edge of the park is the actual well, which is barely visible from the parking lot and entrance. There is also an old railroad boxcar that was donated by a local family in 1993, along with a small wooden shelter for those rainy days. A sign at the entrance of the park marks it as an official Ohio Historical Site and tells the history of the well. When Silas Thorla and Robert McKee drilled the well in 1814, they intended to find salt, but also found oil and natural gas. They cased the well with a hollow sycamore log down to the bedrock about 18 feet deep and 34 inches in diameter.

It is pretty amazing to see the drill still rigged up and the original sycamore log casing around the well. There’s just something about seeing a piece of history that is almost 200 years old and is still in the exact same condition today as it was when it was created. If you have some spare time, take the family for a scenic drive and history lesson, and check out this well in Noble County.

USS Shenandoah: The Premature End of an Aircraft

BY Jessica Meadows

Nestled in the corner of Noble County, among the trees and narrow winding roads, sits a historical crash site and museum for aircraft USS Shenandoah.

The Shenandoah’s history thickens the air. It’s as if the ruins are resting beneath the snow in the mangled mass of aluminum that ended the lives of 14 men.

The Shenandoah was the first of several ships of its kind that took the United States Navy to new heights. The 680-foot aircraft was used as a scouting vessel for the submarines and ships that traveled the ocean following World War I.

The Shenandoah crashed on the stormy morning Sept. 3, 1925. The Shenandoah descended from the heavens in three parts. One section landed on property that would eventually be owned by husband and wife, Bryan and Theresa Rayner. When the crash occurred, Bryan’s grandfather owned the land. He and other men helped rescue survivors.

The huge helium tanks that inflated the ship were both responsible for the breakup of the wreckage and for the saved lives of all but 14 crew members. Although the storm ultimately destroyed the ship, the helium allowed parts of the ship to stay in the air. Many of the survivors were located in these parts of the Shenandoah that remained afloat, brought only to the ground by groups of men, including Bryan’s grandfather, who tied it down.

The historical evidence is housed in a mobile-home museum, which is maintained by Bryan and Theresa Rayner.

The museum displays include: photographs of the hundreds of people in their Model T’s who traveled to the crash site to see the wreckage, time lines of the ship’s life and death, a National Geographic form 1923 with a detailed tour of the Shenandoah and many other trinkets from the 1900s.

The Rayners volunteer their time in the community to teach children and others about the Shenandoah and its importance.