Burning Springs Complex

Burning Springs Complex, also known as the Rathbone and Karns Wells, is a national historic district located at Burning Springs, Wirt County, West Virginia. It encompasses one contributing building and three contributing sites. It was historically viewed as the world's second great oil field, after the Drake Well in Pennsylvania. However, more recent scholarship including the PBS documentary Burning Springs shows it predates the Drake Well by a number of years. During the American Civil War, it was destroyed by General William E. Jones on May 9, 1863.^[2]

LocationAlong the N bank of the Kanawha River from the confluence of Burning Springs Run, Burning Springs, West Virginia

Coordinates38°59′16″N 81°19′10″W

Area20 acres (8.1 ha)

Built1859

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...

Burning Springs Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Show map of West Virginia Show map of the United States
Location	Along the N bank of the Kanawha River from the confluence of Burning Springs Run, Burning Springs, West Virginia
Coordinates	38°59′16″N 81°19′10″W
Area	20 acres (8.1 ha)
Built	1859
Architect	Rathbone Bros.; Et al.
NRHP reference No.	71000884 [1]
Added to NRHP	May 6, 1971

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It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.^[1]