Heath Refinery

The Heath Refinery began operation March 1, 1920. Plant construction began in 1919 at its sprawling 184-acre plant site on Heath Road near the convergence of the Baltimore and Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York Central Railroad lines. The refinery was named in honor of its secretary-treasurer, Fletcher S. Heath.

Receiving crude oil initially through a four-inch line, the plant later added a six-inch line to increase capacity to 23,000 barrels per day. The refinery produced a variety of oil products including butane, gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, residential fuel oil, asphaltic bottoms and gas.

The company held the state’s safety record with 4,834,518 work hours without a disabling injury and four and one-half years without an accident. Enjoying a stable workforce, many employees worked over 30 years before retiring, the average age and length of employment of their workforce in July 1969 was 45.5 years of age with 18.2 years of service. The company was never forced to closed during its 50 years of operation.

Initially owned by the Ohio Cities Gas Company that later became the Pure Oil Company, it was sold to the Union Oil Company in 1965.

The Heath Refinery closed on June 30, 1970 having been replaced by a refinery near Chicago.

K.W.