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The Rise and Fall of Volcano West Virginia | Charleston News
Volcano, West Virginia, once a booming oil hub that powered the Industrial Revolution, was born from a 1859 Pennsylvania oil boom and became legendary for its wild tech like the Endless-Cable System—letting one man control 40 wells. At its peak, it housed 10,000 people, boasted an opera house, bowling alley, two newspapers, and mansions for oil barons. But as wells dried up and deeper fields emerged, the town’s glory faded. Then, on August 4, 1879, arsonists destroyed it all—oil tanks exploded, crude flooded the streets, and by noon, downtown was ash. The railroad was dismantled, justice was…
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