Natural gas was used in America for

Natural gas was used in America for the first time in 1816 for the illumination of the streets with gas lamps. At that time, there were no pipes or pipeline systems to bring gas into homes, so gas was mostly used to light city streets. In 1821, William A. Hart drilled a 27-ft deep well in order to produce natural gas in New York, the first successful natural gas well in America. By today’s standards, the well would be considered quite shallow, as wells now reach depths of 3000 ft. In the 1880s, many cities started using electricity for their street lamps. This was not good news for gas producers, and they started thinking about new markers and customers for their products. Another important event in the United States was the establishment of Fredonia Gas Light Company, the first American natural gas company.