A thousand barrels of oil and a drilling rig owned by Auburn Oil and Gas Co. were consumed by fire, according to an article in the Nov. 21, 1921, Daily News.

Oil production and refining were significant locally in the early 1900s. According to the Oil and Gas History of Kentucky by the University of Kentucky, in “1916 the (first) World War demand for petroleum accompanied by a rapid heightening of prices of crude oil stimulated a new wave of development and ‘wild-catting’ in Kentucky.”

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.