Dr. Walter Snelling is considered the father of the propane industry. In 1912, he oversaw the first installation of propane tanks for residential use at the Gahring residence in Pennsylvania. This began the widespread adoption of propane as a safe and efficient fuel source for homes and businesses. Over the following decades, Dr. Snelling received several patents and awards for his work developing propane technology. He played a pivotal role in establishing the liquid petroleum gas industry that remains an important energy sector today.

1. Dr. Walter Snelling

2. Dr. Walter Snelling... The Father of Propane

3. Where it all began…

4. American Gasol Co.

5. First Installation… Gahring Residence Circa 1912

6. First Installation… Gahring Residence Circa 1912

7. Original Tanks Found

8. Original Installation Drawing

9. Original Installation Sepia

10. Original Installation Blueprint

11. Original Installation with Parts List

12. Pittsburgh Sunday Post Feature Section 1912

13. Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle Sunday, May 12, 1912

14. Demonstration System, 1912

16. Life in These United States: 1912

17. Second Installation -- 1912 Waterford, Pennsylvania

18. Second Installation -- 1912 Waterford, Pennsylvania

19. The Archeological Team Sifting through the records.

20. Welding (Circa 1915-1920) Unretouched print from a surviving Glass Plate photographic negative

21. Unretouched print from a surviving Glass Plate photographic negative. Circa 1914 - 1920

22. Patent Awarded for Distillation

23. Patent Awarded – Apparatus for Separating Gasses

24. Dr. Snelling kept exhaustive notes.

25. Letter Documenting Personal Research PR #30 (in a Series)

26. Letter Documenting Personal Research (Detail) PR #30 (For Postmarked Proof of Date of Work)

27. Walter O. Snelling

28. Walter O. Snelling 50 th Anniversary Citation – Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry

29. Walter O. Snelling Doctor of Science Degree – Lehigh University

30. Walter O. Snelling Order of Ancient Gassers – Distinguished Service Membership

31. Walter O. Snelling George Washington University – Doctor of Philosophy Degree

32. Walter O. Snelling

33. Walter O. Snelling Franklin Institute – Edward Longstreath Medal

34. Franklin Peterson Patent – July 2, 1912 Art for the Condensation of Gases or Vapors into their Liquid Forms

35. Franklin Peterson Letter to Walter Snelling October 19, 1911 Pittsburgh, Pa. October 19, 1911 Dr. Walter O. Snelling Bureau of Mines Pittsburg, Pa. Dear Sir:- Referring to the art or industry as it now develops for the recovery and usage of liquefied petroleum gas and necessary useful and effective ideas which may be applied in connection therewith, I have no hesitancy to state that I am convinced of your right to claim originality. That some of the details which you have suggested to us may be of especial value and are original, I am quite certain. I am pleased to state that it was not my intention on a former occasion to question the above facts. Very truly yours, Franklin Peterson

36. American Gasol Company Brochure Circa 1912

37. American Gasol Company Certificate of Common Stock -- 100 Shares

38. Before the Bobtail, there was Steam.

39. Early Propane Delivery Philgas

40. Early Propane Delivery (Two tanks secured to truck frame by chain on wooden saddles)

41. Remembering…

42. 50 th Anniversary Press Release Photo National LP Gas Council, 1962 Inset: West Virginia location, 1912 Story Title: Hillside “Still” Starts Billion Dollar Industry

43. 50 th Anniversary Press Release Photo National LP Gas Council, 1962 Story Title: More Kitchen Miracles to Come Remembering Ice Boxes and Wood Stoves

44. 50 th Anniversary Souvenir “Newspaper” National LP Gas Council, 1962

45. 50 th Anniversary Souvenir “Newspaper” Cartoons National LP Gas Council, 1962

46. The Legacy of Walter O. Snelling

48. Walter O. Snelling, 1962 Presented in cooperation with the Guild of Ancient Gassers © 2006 – All Rights Reserved