NEW BERLIN – What New York state’s natural gas pioneer William Hart started back in the 1820s in Chautauqua County is finally coming full circle, having arrived on the doorstep of unsuspecting landowners in the Southern Tier.

Hart’s first successful natural gas well was drilled in Fredonia and led to further interest in the rock formations underground elsewhere in the state. Later, Allegheny County witnessed the first successful oil boom in the town of Richburg. Called the “Glory Year,” in 1881, the boom gorged the town’s minuscule population of 100 to 7,000 in just nine months.

This history and more – including an extensive scientific description of the geology underground here and the ins and outs of negotiating leases – was described in a three and a half hour-long presentation last evening at the Unadilla Valley High School, sponsored by the Central New York Landowner’s Coalition.

Four speakers, a geologist, an energy research provider, environmental regulator and lawyer, were on hand to describe the reality of what has become a frenzy of natural gas interest in Chenango County.