Manufactured Gas Plant History

From the early 1800’s to the mid 1900’s, gas was manufactured through a process of  heating coal and oil in enclosed ovens and extracting gases for use in lighting and cooking - a very different process than the natural gas fuel we know today. Over 1,500 MGP sites operated across the U.S. during this period.  One MGP site operated in Mobile.

Through much of the 19th and 20th centuries, manufactured gas was a significant industrial achievement, with plants across the U.S. ushering in some of the conveniences we know today such as home heating, cooking, and lighting.  Mobile Gas Works, the predecessor of Mobile Gas Service, began operations around 1836 when the company entered into an agreement with the city to provide lighting for downtown city streets.  With the advent of electricity, electric lighting replaced gas lighting, and adapting to the changing market, Mobile Gas Works, along with other manufactured gas facilities across the U.S., concentrated on other home conveniences such as home heating and cooking.

Mobile’s manufactured gas plant discontinued operations around 1931 when the city began receiving the natural gas we know today through pipelines that transported the fuel across the country.  Today, natural gas, America’s energy, is one of our most important domestic energy sources and our cleanest fossil fuel.