Skip to content

Kilgore, Texas

Everything Kilgore is known for

2 songs mention this city 3 artists from here

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Kilgore. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

Sign up for the free newsletter Get the iPhone app

Music in Kilgore

Songs About Kilgore

East Texas Red
Tom Russell
7%
"He worked the town of Kilgore"
East Texas Red
Arlo Guthrie
7%
"He worked the town of Kilgore and Longview nine miles down"

Artists From Kilgore

W
Wayne Hancock
country
A
Ally Venable
blues
J
Johnny Dollar
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Kilgore

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Kilgore.

Interstate 20 13 songs Sabine River 13 songs Angelina River 4 songs U.S. Route 59 9 songs Neches River 2 songs Kickapoo Creek 4 songs

History of Kilgore

The World's Richest Acre RoadyGoat

When the boom hit Kilgore, it hit downtown. There were no spacing rules yet, no laws about how far apart wells had to be, so people drilled wherever they could buy or lease a scrap of land, even the lots between storefronts. Things got so crowded that one roughly one-acre block in the middle of town ended up holding around two dozen oil wells, their derricks crammed together so tightly the legs practically overlapped. It became the most densely drilled patch of ground anywhere on Earth. People started calling it the World's Richest Acre, and the name stuck. You can still go stand on the spot today, where a few restored derricks mark just how unbelievably packed it once was. It's a perfect snapshot of a boom moving faster than anyone could regulate it, when the rush to reach the oil first turned a downtown block into a forest of steel.

Kilgore, TX RoadyGoat

Kilgore's history was significantly shaped by the discovery of oil. The town was founded in 1872 when the International–Great Northern Railroad bypassed New Danville in favor of a new townsite, which was sold to the railroad by Constantine Buckley Kilgore, the town's namesake. However, it was the striking of oil by wildcatter Columbus M. 'Dad' Joiner near Henderson on October 3, 1930, that truly transformed Kilgore. The Daisy Bradford #3 well marked the discovery of the vast East Texas Oil Field, turning Kilgore from a small farming town into a bustling boomtown. By 1936, the population had swelled to over 12,000, and the town's skyline was dominated by oil derricks.

Kilgore, TX RoadyGoat

A notable event in Kilgore's history was the discovery of oil near the neighboring town of Henderson on October 3, 1930. Wildcatter Columbus M. 'Dad' Joiner struck oil with the Daisy Bradford #3 well, marking the discovery of the vast East Texas Oil Field. This event transformed Kilgore from a small farming town into a bustling boomtown, with the population increasing to over 12,000 by 1936.

RoadyGoat →

World's Richest Acre

1930

Part of fabulous East Texas oil field discovered in 1930. This 1.195-acre tract had first production on June 17, 1937, when the Mrs. Bess Johnson-Adams & Hale No. 1 well was brought in. Developed before well-spacing rules, this block is the most densely drilled tract in the world, with 24 wells on 10 lots owned by six different operators. This acre has produced over two and a half million barrels of crude oil; selling at $1.10 to $3.25 a barrel, it has brought more than five and a half million dollars. A forest of steel derricks for many years stood over the more than 1,000 wells in downtown Kilgore, marking the greatest concentration of oil wells in the history of the world. Dozens of these derricks still dot city's internationally famous skyline. Since 1930, the East Texas oil field has produced nearly four billion barrels of oil. It now has more than 17,000 producing wells, and geologists predict a future of at least 45 years for this "granddaddy of oil fields." Its development has attracted to the area many diversified industries and a progressive citizenship with a high degree of civic pride. (1966)

Historical Marker →

East Texas Oil Field

1930

The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field in 1930 was the largest oil find in American history at the time, producing over 5 billion barrels and transforming Kilgore, Henderson, and Longview.

Historical Marker →

Cliburn, Harvey Lavan, Jr. [Van]

1958

Van Cliburn, one of the most prominent American concert pianists of the twentieth century, was born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr., on July 12, 1934, in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1941 his father, Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Sr., relocated their family to Kilgore, Texas, to work in the exploding East Texas oil industry . His mother, Rildia Bee (O'Bryan) Cliburn , was a gifted pianist-she had studied in Manhattan with Arthur Friedheim, a student of Franz Liszt and Anton Rubinstein-and gave lessons from their home. His mother recognized her son's prodigious aptitude for the keyboard after the three-year-old "Van" imitated a student's performance of Caroline Crawford's Arpeggio Waltz. She immediately began instructing him, and within a short time, he performed at Dodd College in Shreveport. Cliburn quickly achieved a reputation as a musical wunderkind , and he performed widely during his adolescent years in East Texas. In addition to the lessons he received from his mother, he was also able to hear performances by-and meet-legendary concert pianists José Iturbi and Arthur Rubinstein in Kilgore and Dallas. At the age of thirteen, after winning a contest, he played in Carnegie Hall alongside other talented young pianists. Once he graduated from Kilgore High School in 1951, Cliburn entered the renowned Juilliard School of Music, where he studied with Rosina Lhévinne, a distinguished representative of the Russian school of piano expression and technique. During the 1950s he was a rising piano star; he performed across the United States, won a number of prestigious awards, and his hometown of Kilgore declared April 8, 1953, as "Van Cliburn Day." His extraordinary success in piano competitions included first prize in the 1954 Leventritt Competition. Consequently Van Cliburn debuted with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall and became, at age twenty, a Steinway artist. He graduated from Juilliard in 1955 and around that time signed on with Columbia Artist Management. Cliburn's most significant achievement, however, came on April 11, 1958, when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Upon the completion of his final performance (he performed Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto) for the competition, the audience gave him a standing ovation and cheered for more than eight minutes; the judges allowed Cliburn to take a second bow. The Texan pianist's success at the competition was a landmark in the "Thaw," a period of considerable reform in the Soviet Union and the relaxation of tension between the Cold War superpowers. Culture-from music to art to film-was an important part of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the post- World War II era. Allowing an American to win such an important music competition in the Soviet Union demonstrated Nikita Khrushchev's willingness to break with the extreme censorship and cultural control of Joseph Stalin, his predecessor. For citizens of the United States, it was a major cultural victory, especially after the Soviets' recent launch of Sputnik into space. Cliburn's win was an international media sensation, and he was greeted with a ticker tape parade in New York City when he returned. He was featured on the cover of the May 19, 1958, issue of Time magazine as "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." Cliburn, however, did not see himself as a "conqueror" and, upon his return to the United States, published a statement, "There are no political barriers to music. The same blood running through Americans also runs through the Soviet people and compels us to create and enjoy the same art...." From the late 1950s until the mid-1970s, Cliburn was a major force in classical music across the globe. He studied conducting with Bruno Walter, toured across the world and for the U. S. State Department, and his 1958 RCA recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 was the first classical recording to sell a million copies and go platinum. It also earned a Grammy for Best Clas

Tsha Handbook →

Davis, Gussie Nell

1940

Gussie Nell Davis, founder of the Kilgore Rangerettes (and therefore of the world-wide dance-drill team movement), daughter of Robert Augustus and Mattie Lavinia (Callaway) Davis, was born in Farmersville, Texas, on November 4, 1906. She attended public schools in Farmersville and, with the intention of becoming a concert pianist, entered the College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Woman's University), Denton, in 1923. She changed her major study to physical education and received a B.A. degree from CIA in 1927 and a M.A. from the University of Southern California in 1938. Miss Davis began her professional career as instructor of physical education and pep-squad director at Greenville High School in 1928. Drawing on her combined experience in music, dance, and physical education, she trained the all-girl "Flaming Flashes" to use small wooden batons that she commissioned from a local furniture maker, as well as flags, various props, drums, and bugles in increasingly complex dance-drills and marches. Although there were several female drum and bugle corps or pep squads performing at football games, the Flaming Flashes were the first twirl-and-dance group. In 1939 when Davis was asked by B. E. Masters, president of Kilgore College, to "find a way to keep people in their seats at halftime" without using drums or bugles, she organized the Kilgore Rangerettes, a precision dance-drill team that performed for the first time in 1940. With the assistance of choreographer Denard Hayden, accompanist Hazel Stewart, long-time sponsor L. N. Crim, and assistants Peggy Coghlan, Barbara Harmon, and Deana Bolton, Miss Davis directed the Rangerettes until her retirement in 1979. The Rangerettes performed for the Lions International Convention in 1940 and gave their first bowl-game appearance at the Little Rose Bowl in 1946. Subsequently, their performances at college and professional games, conventions, and other events have included the Cotton Bowl (annual since 1949, except for 1950), the Sugar Bowl (1950), the All-Star Game (1951-55), President Dwight D. Eisenhower 's Inauguration (1953), the International Rotary Convention (1959), the Pecan Bowl (1966), the Shrine Bowl (1966), Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1967-69), the National Convention of Chambers of Commerce of Venezuela (1973), the American Fortnight in Hong Kong (1975), various engagements in Romania (1977), and the annual Rangerette Revels (since 1943). The Rangerettes have been cover girls on numerous publications, including Esquire (October 1950), Look (August 4, 1959), Saturday Evening Post (October 5, 1963), Life (numerous times), and Newsweek (December 12, 1977). They have been the subject of articles in such diverse publications as the American Weekly (November 22, 1953), the Paris Match (February 29, 1964), Family Weekly (December 27, 1964), Southern Living (January 1967), Sports Illustrated (December 16, 1974), Texas Star (November 14, 1971), Texas Woman (February 1979), and Texas Highways (January 1981). They have appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" (1952) and "60 Minutes" (1971), and in such movies as Cinerama's Seven Wonders of the World (1956). All-American and sportscaster Red Grange dubbed the Rangerettes "Sweethearts of the Nation's Gridirons" (1950). The Ice Capades designed a 1973 show around the young women, who wear white Western hats, belts, and boots, red tops, and "flippy" blue skirts, all parts of a copyrighted costume. The Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston spotlighted the group in 1977 as a "living art form." With Irving Dreibrodt, retired director of the SMU Mustang Band, Davis founded American Drill Team Schools, Incorporated, which has provided instruction for drill teams across the United States. In addition to serving on the Kilgore College Staff (1939-79), Davis was a consultant to drill teams, a judge of drill-team competitions, a member of the National Drill Team Directors Association and Rangerettes Forever, and a member of the board of directors of F

Tsha Handbook →

Kilgore - Forest of Derricks

1930

During the East Texas oil boom, Kilgore had over 1,100 oil derricks within city limits, including 24 on a single acre of downtown that became known as the World's Richest Acre.

Historical Marker →

Kilgore Rangerettes

1940

The Kilgore Rangerettes, the first women's precision drill team in the world, began in 1940 under the direction of Gussie Nell Davis , a physical-education teacher. The team was originally organized at the behest of Kilgore College president B. E. Masters to recruit more female students, to provide half-time shows during the football season, and to promote physical activities for women equal to men's. Masters brought Davis, who had established the "Flaming Flashes," a high school girls' drum and bugle corps in Greenville in 1928, to Kilgore and gave her a free hand in setting up the team. She quickly enlisted the help of local oil millionaire Liggett Crim to pay for the Rangerettes' initial costs. The group became popular locally after its debut at a football game in September 1940. Its fame promptly spread outside Kilgore, and within a year the Rangerettes had traveled to New Orleans to represent the region's oil business at the Lions International convention. The Rangerettes began appearing throughout East Texas in "bond shows" in support of the war effort. They have continued to perform for the college and have also participated in many other athletic and special events, such as the Cotton Bowl game, the International Tennis Stars Exhibition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the American Bar Association Convention. Since the 1970s they have taken six world tours, to South America, the Far East, Romania, France, Canada, and Japan. Members of the troupe are selected each August at a two-week tryout camp, during which as many as 150 applicants vie for some thirty openings. Normally sixty-five students make up the team, but only forty-eight members actually perform at one time. Known for well-choreographed routines, including its trademark high kick, the troupe thrived under the direction of Gussie Davis for almost four decades, until her retirement in 1979. She was responsible for turning the Rangerettes into a company that executed perfect routines by holding to the concept that the Rangerettes "don't make mistakes." The Rangerettes have historically been identified with one costume, made up of a blouse, arm gauntlets, a belt, and a short circular skirt, in red, white, and blue. A white hat and boots complete the Rangerette look. The costume has remained unchanged, except for a slight shortening of the skirt length. Since the Kilgore Rangerettes became so popular, all-female drill teams have proliferated throughout the state, with 15,000 high school students and 1,000 college students participating annually. Nationwide, the Rangerettes' legacy has garnered the involvement of some 75,000 high school drill team members. To underscore the significance of the Kilgore Rangerettes, Kilgore College opened a Rangerette Showcase on its campus in 1979. The exhibit, housed in the college's physical education building, features costumes, props, and other memorabilia. A sixty-seat theater in the building provides films and slide shows on Rangerette performances.

Tsha Handbook →

Things to Do in Kilgore

historical
Kilgore, Texas (c. 1939, Russell Lee)
day trip
Day Trip to Kilgore 🛢️ (FULL EPISODE) S13 E6

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Kilgore

348 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • World's Richest Acre · Historical Marker

    Part of fabulous East Texas oil field discovered in 1930. This 1.195-acre tract had first production on June 17, 1937, when the Mrs. Bess Johnson-Adams & Hale No. 1 well was brought in. Developed before well-spacing…

  • The World's Richest Acre

    When the boom hit Kilgore, it hit downtown. There were no spacing rules yet, no laws about how far apart wells had to be, so people drilled wherever they could buy or lease a scrap of land, even the lots between…

  • Kilgore, TX

    Kilgore's history was significantly shaped by the discovery of oil. The town was founded in 1872 when the International–Great Northern Railroad bypassed New Danville in favor of a new townsite, which was sold to the…

  • Kilgore - Forest of Derricks · Historical Marker

    During the East Texas oil boom, Kilgore had over 1,100 oil derricks within city limits, including 24 on a single acre of downtown that became known as the World's Richest Acre.

  • Kilgore, Texas (c. 1939, Russell Lee) · Things to Do
  • Hickory Grove Baptist Church · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the Cross Roads Community, where in 1911 folks decided they needed a church and a cemetery. Land was bought in 1912 next to the existing Hickory Grove Cemetery, and construction began that same…

  • East Texas Oil Field · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field in 1930 was the largest oil find in American history at the time, producing over 5 billion barrels and transforming Kilgore, Henderson, and Longview.

  • Kilgore Rangerettes · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    In 1940, Kilgore College had a problem: fans kept leaving at halftime of football games. The dean hired a physical education instructor named Gussie Nell Davis and asked her to create something that would keep people in…

  • Kilgore I&GN-Missouri Pacific Railroad Station · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Kilgore I&GN-Missouri Pacific Railroad Station. The town of Kilgore was platted by the International Railroad Company after it purchased land for a townsite from C. B. "Buck" Kilgore, who had donated…

  • Alexander Institute · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Alexander Institute, a school that was once a beacon of education in East Texas. Founded as the New Danville Masonic Female Academy in <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Kilgore National Bank Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Kilgore National Bank Building, a symbol of the town's prosperity during the 1930s oil boom. Built in 1937, its Art Moderne and Art Deco design was meant to project progress. The bank operated…

  • Crim, Lou Della · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a home that became a temporary headquarters during one of Texas's biggest oil booms. Built in 1920 for Lou Della Crim, this bungalow once stood where the Hearne Hotel used to be. But its…

Show all 200 nearby places
  • St. Luke's United Methodist Church · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Kilgore, and right here is the site of St. Luke's United Methodist Church. The story of Methodism in Kilgore really kicks off in 1873. Many folks from the nearby town of New Danville moved here…

  • First Baptist Church of Kilgore · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Kilgore. It was formed in 1902 by five charter members and held its first sanctuary construction in 1906. The current brick structure was completed in 1933,…

  • Allis-Chalmers Pumps · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what's left of Kilgore's oil boom! It all kicked off on December 28th, 1930, when the Lou Della Crim Number One well exploded to life, making Kilgore a major player in the East Texas oil field. These…

  • New Deal Era in Kilgore · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a remarkable transformation in Kilgore. Back in the 1930s, oil was discovered, and suddenly thousands of people, displaced by the Great Depression, descended on this area, creating a…

  • Dean-Keener-Crim House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Dean-Keener-Crim House, the oldest still standing in Kilgore. Its east wing was built way back in 1876 by S. G. Dean. Later, L. J. Keener added the two-story west wing, and in 1902, Wiley N.…

  • Kilgore Public Library · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Kilgore Public Library, a building that's more than just books. It all started in 1933, thanks to two determined local women's clubs who wanted a public library for their town. With a boost from…

  • First Prestyterian Church · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Kilgore, and right here is the First Presbyterian Church. Organized way back in 1850 as Gum Spring Presbyterian Church, this congregation moved to Kilgore in 1874. But the real story here is the…

  • Kilgore High School · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Kilgore, and right here is the site of a school that's seen some serious growth. It started way back in 1873 as the Alexander Institute, a private school that moved to town and served local kids.…

  • The World's Richest Acre · 0.6 mi

    If you head downtown, you can find what was once called the 'World's Richest Acre.' It's a single city block that perfectly illustrates the insanity of the Kilgore oil boom. Drilled in the 1930s, before well-spacing…

  • The Kilgore Rangerettes · 0.6 mi

    Kilgore is home to a true American original: the Rangerettes. Back in 1940, a visionary educator at Kilgore College named Gussie Nell Davis wanted to create something to keep fans in their seats during halftime at…

  • The Well That Started It All · 0.6 mi

    The Kilgore boom began with a stubborn old man named Columbus 'Dad' Joiner, drilling in a field about ten miles southwest of here. Joiner was a wildcatter, a relentless optimist who believed there was oil where all the…

  • The Lawless Boomtown · 0.6 mi

    For a few years in the early 1930s, Kilgore was one of the wildest, most dangerous towns in America. The discovery of oil turned this village of 700 into a chaotic metropolis of 10,000 almost overnight. The streets,…

  • An Engineering Fix for a Salty Problem · 0.6 mi

    Drilling for oil here created a massive environmental problem: saltwater. For every barrel of oil pumped from the East Texas field, several barrels of highly saline water came with it. In the early boom days, companies…

  • The Old Wildcatter Who Struck the Big One · 0.7 mi

    On October 3, 1930, an aging, nearly broke wildcatter named Columbus Marion Joiner, who everyone called Dad, brought in a well known as the Daisy Bradford No. 3. And it almost didn't happen. He had already drilled two…

  • Kilgore · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Kilgore, Texas, once known as the 'Oil City of the World'! This boomtown got its start in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1872</say-as>, right when the railroad rolled in. It’s named for…

  • Thousands of Wells, One Giant Pool · 0.7 mi

    Here's the surprise that took people years to fully understand. All those thousands of East Texas wells, drilled by hundreds of different owners across a huge area, weren't tapping separate pockets of oil. They were all…

  • Learning to Not Pump It All at Once · 0.7 mi

    Here's the engineering lesson the East Texas field taught the whole world, and it was learned the hard way. In the early 1930s, everyone pumped as fast as they possibly could, and it backfired twice. So much oil flooded…

  • Kilgore College Administration Building · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Kilgore College Administration Building. In the midst of the Great Depression, Kilgore residents voted to start a junior college in 1935. Classes were held in the high school until this building…

  • Driller Park · 1.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Kilgore's Driller Park, a place that hit a home run with the community. On April 24th, 1947, over 3,000 fans packed this stadium for the grand opening of baseball's postwar return, cheering on the…

  • Cliburn, Harvey Lavan, Jr. [Van] · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Van Cliburn, one of the most prominent American concert pianists of the twentieth century, was born Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Jr., on July 12, 1934, in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1941 his father, Harvey Lavan Cliburn, Sr.,…

  • Davis, Gussie Nell · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Gussie Nell Davis, founder of the Kilgore Rangerettes (and therefore of the world-wide dance-drill team movement), daughter of Robert Augustus and Mattie Lavinia (Callaway) Davis, was born in Farmersville, Texas, on…

  • Kilgore Rangerettes · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The Kilgore Rangerettes, the first women's precision drill team in the world, began in 1940 under the direction of Gussie Nell Davis , a physical-education teacher. The team was originally organized at the behest of…

  • Kilgore, TX (Gregg County) · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Kilgore, a town that went from boom to bust and back again, all thanks to oil. Originally settled before the Civil War, Kilgore was officially founded in 1872 as a railroad stop. For decades, it…

  • Dollar, John Washington, Jr. [Johnny Dollar] · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Kilgore, a rockabilly legend got his start. Johnny Dollar, born John Washington Dollar, Jr., was a key figure in the Dallas music scene of the late 1950s. He…

  • Kilgore College · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Kilgore, home to a truly unique Texas tradition: the Kilgore Rangerettes! Organized in 1940, these sixty-five coeds became a nationally known precision drill corps, famous for their high kicks and…

  • Alexander, Isaac · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Isaac Alexander, Methodist minister, youngest of fourteen children of David B. and Margaret (Gilmore) Alexander, was born on July 24, 1832, in Russell County, Virginia. His father was born in Ireland and came to America…

  • Kilgore, Constantine Buckley · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, and right here, you're passing through the town of Kilgore, named for a man who played a big role in its founding: Constantine Buckley Kilgore. Though he opposed secession, Kilgore…

  • Barton, Thomas Dickson · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Kilgore, the birthplace of Thomas Dickson Barton. Barton's life was a testament to military service, spanning decades and continents. He served in the Spanish-American…

  • Devall, Lyde Williford · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Northeast Texas, maybe near Kilgore, and you're passing through the heart of Lyde Williford Devall's publishing empire. From 1940 to 1979, she and her husband published the Kilgore News Herald.…

  • Kilgore, TX (Goliad County) · 1.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through northeastern Goliad County, passing through the rural community of Kilgore. It started in the 1880s as a German farming settlement, likely named after the nearby Kilgore Creek. Early families like…

  • Kilgore's Unofficial Cheerleader · 2.6 mi

    Along the U.S. Highway Two Fifty Nine relief route through Kilgore, the road carries the name Charles K. Devall Memorial Highway. Devall was born in Mount Vernon, Texas, in nineteen oh eight. His father ran the Mount…

  • Danville Community · 2.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Danville, also known as New Danville, established around 1847. Named by the S. Slade Barnett family, this community was a hub with a post office, Masonic Lodge, and businesses. It thrived…

  • Gum Spring Presbyterian Church · 2.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Gum Spring Presbyterian Church. Organized in 1850 by Reverend J. M. Becton, this congregation started with just a handful of families. Their first log church, built in 1849, tragically…

  • Forest Home Baptist Church · 2.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Forest Home Baptist Church, organized in 1889 by Reverend J. R. Goode and eight charter members. Their first sanctuary was a simple log structure, later replaced by a frame building that…

  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery · 3.5 mi · Historical Marker

    As you drive through Kilgore, look for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. This burial ground tells the story of African Americans in East Texas after the Civil War. Newly freed, they formed the Mt. Pleasant Colored Methodist…

  • Lou Della Crim No. 1 · 3.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Lou Della Crim No. 1 well, the discovery that proved the massive East Texas oil field. J. Malcolm Crim drilled this well on his mother's land after the initial East Texas oil…

  • Old Fredonia Townsite · 6.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the site of Old Fredonia, a town that boomed and busted in East Texas. Founded in 1825 by Haden Edwards, it became a key river port and ferry crossing, even boasting a brick kiln and warehouses…

  • Sabine River Off Shore Wells · 6.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Sabine River, but you might not realize it's also a historic oilfield. The massive East Texas oilfield was discovered in 1930, and just two years later, drilling began right here in the riverbed.…

  • Grable Cemetery · 6.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what's now known as Grable Cemetery, a place with deep roots in Longview's African American history. Back in 1888, M.H. Graybill set aside this land as a burial ground for local sharecroppers and…

  • Peatown Christian Church · 7.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Peatown Christian Church. It traces its history back to a Disciples of Christ congregation organized near Camden in 1852. This church itself was organized in 1871 with twelve charter…

  • Camden, TX (Gregg County) · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gregg County, and right here, you're passing the site of Camden, once known as Walling's Ferry. This community sprang up in the late 1820s around a ferry crossing operated by John Walling on the…

  • Earp, James · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what's now Longview, but you're passing through the ghost of Earpville, a town literally built by one man. James Earp, a farmer and merchant, arrived in Texas before 1835 and eventually settled…

  • Earpville, TX · 7.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Earpville was on a site that is now within the city limits of Longview in Gregg County. It was founded by the James Earp family of Alabama in the 1840s and had a post office from 1850 to 1867. In 1848 James Earp and his…

  • Pleasant Green Baptist Church · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past where the Pleasant Green Baptist Church stands today, a cornerstone of Longview's African American community. Right after the Civil War, emancipated slaves formed the Freedmen's community here. Then,…

  • El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church · 8.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Overton, and we're passing the site of El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. This congregation's roots go way back, possibly to around 1840, when Reverend J.D. James arrived with his family and…

  • New London School Explosion · 8.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Rusk County, near New London, where in 1937 stood one of the richest rural school districts in America. That March 18th, students were preparing for a competition, the PTA was meeting, and a…

  • New London, TX · 8.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through New London, Texas, a town that owes its existence to oil, but is forever remembered for a horrific tragedy. For decades, this was a quiet farming community. Then, in 1930, the East Texas oil boom…

  • The Wartime Highway Name That Waited Sixty Years · 9.1 mi

    The World War Two Veterans Memorial Highway is a name with an odd history. On August first, nineteen forty four, a Texas highway minute order named U S Highway Eighty the Veterans of World War Two Highway, all the way…

  • Longview · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Longview, a town named for a 'long view' from a hilltop when surveyors laid out the townsite way back in 1870. It quickly became a railroad and lumber center, but listen to this: in 1894, it was the…

  • When the World Rushed In · 9.3 mi

    For its first fifty years, Overton was a sleepy farm town of about 400 people. Then, in 1930, a gusher blew in just miles away, revealing the East Texas Oil Field. Overton was sitting right on top of it. What followed…

  • Free lots lured Jamestown to Overton · 9.3 mi

    If you look at a map of Overton, you'll see the town split right down the middle by the railroad. That's no accident -- this town exists because of it. Overton was laid out brand new in 1873 at the planned junction of…

  • The Scentless Danger · 9.3 mi

    Just a few miles down the road from Overton lies the town of New London, site of one of the worst disasters in Texas history. On March 18, 1937, the New London school, a modern steel-and-concrete building funded by oil…

  • The Slanted Ocean of Oil · 9.3 mi

    The oil boom that transformed Overton wasn't just luck; it was the result of a perfect geological trap. Deep beneath the East Texas soil is a massive, porous layer of sandstone called the Woodbine Formation. Millions of…

  • Overton, TX · 9.3 mi

    Overton's history is marked by its transformation from an agricultural community to an oil-based economy. Initially, the town was intended to be a crossroads for two railroads, which brought it significant growth when…

  • Cherokee Trace · 9.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through East Texas, right where history was carved into the landscape. Back in 1821, Cherokee Indians blazed this trail, slashing trees and clearing a path all the way from Nacogdoches to Arkansas. They…

  • Fisher Cemetery · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Fisher Cemetery, originally designated before 1860 by A.T. Castleberry II on his land. It serves as a burial place for early Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church members and families, eventually…

  • Howze, Robert Lee · 9.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right here in Overton, Texas, was born Robert Lee Howze, a man who would earn the nation's highest military honor. On July 25, 1891, Howze received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during a campaign against Sioux…

  • Mayfield, Earle Bradford · 9.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, not far from where Earle Mayfield got his start. In 1922, Mayfield, a pro-Prohibition candidate, faced a bitter fight for the U.S. Senate nomination. His opponent, James E. Ferguson,…

  • Overton, TX · 9.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Overton, Texas, a town that owes its very existence to the railroad. Laid out in 1873, it was strategically planned as a junction for two rail lines. Early settler Frank Overton donated land, and…

  • Rock Springs Schoolhouse · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing the Rock Springs Schoolhouse, built way back in 1849. Imagine this one-room schoolhouse, powered by a single teacher, serving students until the 1930s. It wasn't just for lessons, though. This building…

  • First Methodist Church of Overton · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Overton's First Methodist Church. Many members of a nearby Jamestown church formed this congregation in 1873, building a small frame church here that same year. Later buildings, including…

  • New London School Explosion · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker

    On the afternoon of March 18, 1937, a teacher at the New London Consolidated School turned on an electric sander in the shop class. The spark ignited a pocket of natural gas that had been leaking into the crawl space…

  • Site of Shiloh School · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through White Oak, near the site of the Shiloh School. This school was established by newly freed African Americans right after the Civil War. After a one-room building was demolished, classes moved to…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Overton (Overton) · 9.9 mi

    Overton (Overton, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Rylan Holleman (2 HR).

  • Point Pleasant · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what used to be Point Pleasant, a community that thrived from about 1850 to 1871. It started as Gilead, with a post office and a ferry crossing the Sabine River. In 1852, the name changed to Point…

  • Engineering the Oil Boom · 10.0 mi

    The town you're in exists because of a monumental engineering achievement. Discovering the East Texas Oil Field was geology; getting the oil out was pure engineering grit. The field was so vast—43 miles long—and was…

  • Clarksville City, TX · 10.0 mi

    Once known as 'Gilead', the area now known as Clarksville City has a rich history. It was first settled before 1845, and a stagecoach stop at William W. Walters' home later became a hub operated by Warren P. Victory.…

  • The Other Clarksville · 10.0 mi

    If you told a Texan you were headed for Clarksville, they'd probably picture a different place — the original, up in Red River County, laid out by James Clark in 1833. That one's got deep roots: Charles DeMorse printing…

  • Suburb of the Oil Patch · 10.0 mi

    Clarksville City might seem like just a quiet suburb, but its roots are soaked in oil, and they run deeper than that. People settled here before 1845, in a place called Gilead, and the post office that opened in 1852…

  • White Oak Independent School District · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past White Oak, a community that grew up around a one-room schoolhouse back in the 1880s. After a fire destroyed the first building, locals rebuilt, using the new school for Sunday services too. By the…

  • White Oak, TX (Wood County) · 10.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Wood County, near Yantis. This area was once known by several names, including Singleton Crossing and Black Jack. But in 1893, a post office opened, and the community was temporarily called Mapes,…

  • White Oak Baptist Church · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of White Oak Baptist Church. It traces its history back to a congregation founded in 1889, formally organizing in 1910. The Satterwhite family donated land for a building in 1935, and church…

  • Making a Lake from Scratch · 10.1 mi

    Look at a map of this area in 1945 and there is no big blue shape here at all, just Cherokee Bayou winding through farms and pine. But Longview was booming and desperately short of water, and after two failed attempts…

  • Engineering a Lake for East Texas · 10.1 mi

    The quiet view across Lake Cherokee hides a piece of mid-century engineering that private money paid for. In the 1940s the problem was plain: East Texas was growing and Longview needed water. Engineers picked Cherokee…

  • Rockwall Farm · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former site of Rockwall Farm, just outside Longview. Built in 1854, this large colonial home was a key stop on William T. Brooks' stagecoach line, connecting Louisiana to Tyler. Imagine mail…

  • Robert Gilmour LeTourneau · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the legacy of Robert Gilmour LeTourneau, a self-educated inventor who revolutionized heavy construction equipment. He started in California in 1921, pioneering components still standard today. His…

  • Harmon General Hospital · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Harmon General Hospital, a massive military medical complex that sprung up right here in Longview during World War II. Established by the U.S. Army in 1942, this wasn't just a hospital;…

  • Clarksville City, TX · 10.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving past Clarksville City, a community that owes its modern existence to the East Texas oil boom. Right here, in the 1930s, homes and businesses popped up so fast along U.S. Highway 80 that it was nicknamed…

  • Big Inch Pipeline · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the starting point of a wartime marvel: the Big Inch Pipeline. Before this massive project, German submarines were sinking oil tankers off the East Coast. To combat this, Secretary of the Interior…

  • Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church, founded way back in 1847. That makes it the very first church in Gregg County, and one of the oldest continuously serving churches in all of…

  • Crim's Chapel Cemetery · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Crim's Chapel Cemetery. It's believed people were buried here before 1882, but Jo Anna Crim, wife of Abraham B. Crim, has the earliest marked grave, dating to that year. Abraham Crim formally set…

  • Engineering an Oilfield's Second Life · 10.5 mi

    The East Texas Oil Field made White Oak — the community had grown up around an 1887 schoolhouse, but it was the 1930s boom that filled it. And that field should have died in the 1940s. Here's the science of why it…

  • The Roughneck Identity · 10.5 mi

    In most Texas towns, high school mascots are animals or historical figures—Eagles, Bulldogs, Warriors. Here in White Oak, it’s an oilfield worker: the Roughneck. And that’s not just a mascot; it’s a mission statement.…

  • A Billionaire From the Oil Patch · 10.5 mi

    Every town has its success stories, but White Oak’s is a perfect reflection of its identity. Kelcy Warren, the billionaire founder and CEO of pipeline giant Energy Transfer Partners, is a graduate of White Oak High…

  • White Oak, TX · 10.5 mi

    The area has been home to several notable athletes who made their mark in professional sports. Mike Barber, a tight end, played for the Houston Oilers and later became involved in prison ministry. Byron Hunt also played…

  • From Boomtown to Hometown · 10.5 mi

    Most oil boomtowns follow the same arc. They explode, they burn bright, and they vanish when the easy money is gone. White Oak refused. There was a settlement here long before the derricks, farms and sawmills in the…

  • Campbell, J. N. · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Longview, and right here is the J. N. Campbell home, built way back in 1872. For over a century, this house has been a hub for Texas culture. Judge Campbell and his family opened their doors to…

  • Harmon General Hospital Chapel · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a chapel that served a massive World War II hospital. Harmon General Hospital opened in late 1942, a huge facility built to care for wounded soldiers. Just months later, in January 1943,…

  • Red Oak Missionary Baptist Church · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and just off the road is the site of the Red Oak Missionary Baptist Church. Founded in 1875 by freed African Americans, it started as Red Oak Grove Baptist Church on land donated by…

  • Bethel Baptist Church · 10.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Bethel Baptist Church, a cornerstone of Longview's African American community. It was organized in 1874 by Rev. Richard Perry and nine deacons, starting under a brush arbor before a sanctuary was…

  • Northcutt House · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Longview, and to your right stands the Northcutt House, built in 1902. <break time="400ms"/> This beautiful Queen Anne home, with its fishscale shingles and grand wraparound porch, was built for…

  • Rosedale Cemetery · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Rosedale Cemetery, a place with a story as rich as the oil that once flowed beneath it. Back in 1844, John Kettle Armstrong and his wife Sarah were early settlers here. When Sarah passed in 1856,…

  • Longview High School · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Longview's first public high school, built way back in 1880. Imagine that! The town grew so fast, they had to build a bigger school just four years later. Then, in 1929, this very complex…

  • Rembert-Harrison House · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Longview, passing the Rembert-Harrison House. Built between 1877 and 1879, this Queen Anne cottage was later remodeled by merchant and mayor Frank Rembert, who even added a detached garage around…

  • Saint Mark C. M. E. Church · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is the site of Saint Mark C.M.E. Church. Organized by former slaves around 1867, this congregation started in a brush arbor. They built their first sanctuary in 1876, and…

  • Longview Municipal Building and Central Fire Station · 10.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is the old Municipal Building and Central Fire Station. Longview was booming in the 1930s thanks to the East Texas oil fields, and the city government just couldn't keep…

  • First Baptist Church of Longview · 10.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Longview's First Baptist Church, which has been continuously active since 1871. Fifteen people started the congregation, and by 1874, they had their first sanctuary and called their first…

  • The Day the Earth Shook · 10.9 mi

    On the afternoon of March 18, 1937, the New London School was a source of immense local pride. It was a modern, steel-framed building, paid for by the wealth of the oil boom. Inside, hundreds of students were finishing…

  • The Engineering of a Warning · 10.9 mi

    The New London disaster was a catastrophic failure of engineering and chemistry. The school’s heating system was an improvised, unregulated piece of infrastructure. To save about $300 a month, the school board had a…

  • New London School Explosion · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Rusk County, and right here is the site of one of the deadliest school disasters in American history. On March 18th, 1937, the New London Junior-Senior High School was obliterated by a massive…

  • The Smell of Safety · 10.9 mi

    The tragedy of the New London School explosion has a legacy that keeps you safe today. In the investigation that followed the blast, experts quickly determined the cause: a massive, undetected leak of natural gas. The…

  • New London, TX · 10.9 mi

    In 1937, New London was the site of a devastating tragedy, the London School Explosion, which claimed the lives of 270 children and 24 adults. This disaster led to significant changes in safety regulations, including…

  • A Young Reporter's First Big Story · 10.9 mi

    When news of the explosion broke, newsmen from all over rushed to the scene. One of them was a 20-year-old reporter for the United Press out of Dallas named Walter Cronkite. He arrived to find chaos and heartbreak under…

  • A Monument to Memory · 10.9 mi

    If you want to understand the heart of New London, you need to see the memorial. Right on Highway 42, at the site of the school, stands a tall pink granite cenotaph, carved by sculptor Herring Coe. Etched into its…

  • Site of James S. Hogg Newspaper · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where Texas' first native-born governor, James Stephen Hogg, started his career in journalism. In 1871, at just 20 years old, he founded the Longview News right here. For three years, Hogg…

  • Hays, Martin · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Longview home of Martin Hays, a man who served his community for decades. Born in 1883, Hays was a respected citizen who first entered public office in 1910 as city marshal and district clerk. He…

  • Dr. E. L. and Nannie Lewis Walker House · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former home of Dr. E.L. and Nannie Walker, a remarkable couple who left their mark on early Gladewater. Dr. Walker, a physician and drugstore owner, bought this land in 1895. Their impressive…

  • London Baptist Church · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the London Baptist Church, which traces its history back to 1856. For a time, church members shared a jointly owned building with the Odd Fellows Lodge. The church saw growth when oil was…

  • Dalton Gang's Last Raid · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Dalton Gang's last raid, right here in Longview on May 23rd, 1894. Bill Dalton himself, leading his armed gang, walked into the First National Bank demanding money. But Longview…

  • The Courthouses of Gregg County · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, a place that's seen its share of courthouse drama. Formed in 1873, the county’s first courthouse was a tiny building, quickly outgrown. For a while,…

  • General John Gregg · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, the home of General John Gregg. Born in Alabama in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1828</say-as>, Gregg moved to Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1854</say-as>. A…

  • Shepperd, John Ben · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving by the Gladewater birthplace of John Ben Shepperd, a prominent Texas lawyer and official. After serving in World War II and leading the national Jaycees, he served as Texas's Attorney General, tackling…

  • Everett Building · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Everett Building in Longview, a true architectural gem from <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1910</say-as>. This is the only example of Classical Revival commercial architecture you'll find…

  • Lewis-Bivins House · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Lewis-Bivins House, a beautiful example of late Victorian architecture in Longview. Constructed around 1885 or 1895 for merchant B. F. Lewis, it was later purchased in 1905 by Confederate veteran…

  • First Presbyterian Church of Longview · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Longview's First Presbyterian Church. It was established in 1872 by nine members as a mission in the new town. The congregation built its first church in 1874, and has constructed two…

  • Noted Texas Leader, Developer, Conservationist, Carl L. Estes · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the legacy of Carl L. Estes, a true giant of East Texas journalism and development. He started as a newsboy and grew to found the Commerce "East Texan" in 1919. After building the Longview "Daily…

  • First Franchised Motor Bus Line in Texas · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Gladewater, and right here, you're passing the birthplace of Texas public bus travel! Back in March 1925, W. E. Nunnelee started the state's very first franchised motor bus line. Imagine this: a…

  • Delta Drilling Company · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the original home of the Delta Drilling Company, founded right here in 1931 by Bob Stacy, Sam Dorfman, and Joseph Zeppa. They were responding to the East Texas oil boom, and their company quickly…

  • Pegues, Oliver H. · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is the story of Oliver H. Pegues. He arrived in Texas with his family back in 1850, eventually settling in Longview in 1871. That very year, he became the town's very…

  • Franklin L. Whaley House · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past one of Longview's earliest homes, the Franklin L. Whaley House. Built in 1871, this place has seen five generations of the Whaley family grow up within its walls. Imagine the lumber for this house…

  • New Hope Missionary Baptist Church · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1893 by former slaves seeking new opportunities. This congregation didn't just offer worship; it served as a vital center for the African…

  • Bumpus House · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Bumpus House in Gladewater. Believed to have been built around the turn of the 20th century, it's a local landmark showcasing Colonial Revival and Craftsman architectural styles. Area sawmill…

  • Gladewater Lodge No. 852, A.F. & A.M. · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gladewater, where Gladewater Lodge No. 852, part of the Freemasons, was established in 1901. For thirty years, members met in a general store that also housed the post office. They built their own…

  • First United Methodist Church of Gladewater · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gladewater, where a Methodist congregation formed in 1922. Twelve adults and two children met in a private home to organize the church, soon building a simple sanctuary. The church saw significant…

  • First Methodist Church of Longview · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Methodist Church of Longview. Its history goes back to 1845, when a log meeting house was built nearby for worship, school, and town meetings. The congregation moved buildings…

  • Longview, TX · 11.2 mi

    Longview, Texas, a city nestled in the East Texas Piney Woods, offers more than just rolling terrain and the scent of pine. Established because the Southern Pacific Railroad needed a place to stop after bypassing New…

  • The Town That Shot Back · 11.2 mi

    You're in Longview, and on May 23rd, 1894, this town did something outlaws never expected: it shot back. Bill Dalton — last of the infamous Dalton gang — rode in with Jim Wallace and the Nite brothers to rob the First…

  • Foshee Family · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Foshee Family home, built in 1890. Imagine this: the lumber for this house was sawed at a famous local mill, and the chimney? It's made of unique, hand-hewn rock pulled from the stream running…

  • Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott Highway · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker

    Honors retired Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott, legendary 35+ year East Texas Ranger who solved the Henderson Syrup Mill murders. CAREER designation, NOT line-of-duty death. Honorary segment on Spur 63 in Longview.

  • Turner, J.C. · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the J.C. Turner home, built in 1874, just two years after Longview was founded. Look for the distinctive fireplace in every room and that beautiful stairway, carved from walnut. The builder, J.C.…

  • Gregg County · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gregg County, formed back in 1873 from parts of Rusk and Upshur counties. It's named for General John Gregg, a delegate to the Secession Convention and a Confederate officer. Longview is the…

  • The Grove · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is a spot known as The Grove. <break time="400ms"/> This natural timber stand was more than just trees. <break time="400ms"/> As early as the 1860s, freedmen gathered here…

  • Campbell Honeymoon Home · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is the former home of Thomas Mitchell Campbell, who went from working in the county clerk's office to becoming Governor of Texas! This humble cottage was his and his wife…

  • Longview Junction · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what used to be Longview Junction, a community that sprung up in the 1870s right where the Texas & Pacific and International & Great Northern Railroads met. It wasn't just tracks here; churches,…

  • Silkwood, Karen Gay · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Longview, where Karen Silkwood was born. She became a union activist at the Kerr-McGee nuclear plant in Oklahoma, where she discovered dangerous leaks and missing plutonium.…

  • Gregg County · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gregg County right now, and you might not realize it, but you're passing through the heart of a boomtown story that changed Texas forever. Back in 1931, just as the Great Depression was hitting…

  • Methvin, Ossamus Hitch, Sr. · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Longview, Texas, a city born from a single, breathtaking vista. Right here, in the mid-1800s, Ossamus Hitch Methvin, Sr. settled on a prominent hill. He built his home on Rock Hill, a spot that…

  • Reo Palm Isle · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Longview, and right here is the site of the legendary Reo Palm Isle! Opened in 1935 as the Palm Isle, this place was built to be the largest and most elaborate nightclub in the South. Imagine a…

  • Turner, George Benton · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Longview, where George Benton Turner was born. He wasn't always a hero. After leaving college early, he worked in California. But when the call came in World War II, he…

  • Lathrop A-1, Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, the heart of the East Texas oil boom! Look around you, because this area was transformed by wells like the F. K. Lathrop A-1. After years of searching, B. A. Skipper, Sr. assembled a…

  • Longview Race Riot of 1919 · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    This entry is currently being revised and the new version will be available soon! LONGVIEW RACE RIOT . The Longview Race Riot occurred during the Red Summer, as May to October of 1919 has been called. It was the second…

  • Williams, Roy Herdine · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Roy Herdine Williams, Dallas civil rights activist and co-plaintiff in the Williams v. City of Dallas (1990) lawsuit, which led to the Dallas city council adopting a 14-1 election plan, was born on August 20, 1942, in…

  • LeTourneau University · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Longview, Texas, and right here is LeTourneau University. But did you know this whole campus started in a World War II hospital? In 1946, industrialist Robert LeTourneau and his wife Evelyn bought…

  • Preachers Hill · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Preachers Hill, a historic African American neighborhood just outside Longview. Established in the 1880s, it earned its name when Bethel Temple Church was founded here in 1920. Legend says Ella Jacob…

  • Longview Train Depot · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, a town literally founded by the railroad. In 1870, O.H. Methvin gave land to Southern Pacific, and by 1871, Longview was its westward end-of-the-line. The impressive Colonial Revival…

  • Longview, TX (Gregg County) · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Longview, a city born from a railroad's ambition. Back in the early 1870s, the Texas and Pacific Railroad needed a western terminus. They laid out a new town on land purchased from Ossamus…

  • White, Israel Scott · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Israel Scott White, civic leader and civil-rights advocate, was born near Longview on March 15, 1885. He was the youngest of three sons of Noah and Susan White, who worked as dirt farmers. White attended the Pleasant…

  • Brown, Bluford Washington · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gregg County, Texas, and right here near Longview is the area where Bluford Washington Brown made his mark. After serving as a Confederate officer in the Civil War, Brown moved to Texas in 1866.…

  • De Graffenried, Reese Calhoun · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Longview, Texas, a town that once hosted a funeral so massive, it drew some 6,000 mourners. That was for Reese Calhoun De Graffenried, a lawyer and congressman who made his mark here after moving…

  • Estes, Carl Lewis · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Longview, Carl Lewis Estes was a powerhouse of industry and media. After serving in two World Wars and working as a foreign correspondent, he returned to Longview and…

  • Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Longview, where the Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railway Company was chartered way back in October of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1887</say-as>. This ambitious line planned to…

  • Longview Junction, TX · 11.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through what used to be Longview Junction, a community that sprang up in 1873 right here where the International-Great Northern Railroad met the Texas and Pacific line. It wasn't long before this junction…

  • Greenwood Cemetery · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Greenwood Cemetery, the final resting place for a lot of Longview's history. It started in 1877 as 'Longview Cemetery' and was renamed Greenwood in 1905. Inside, you'll find veterans, pioneers, and…

  • Wartime Home Industry · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    As you drive through Longview, look for this marker. During the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, this site was a vital home industry. Joseph M. Sparkman, despite suffering from arthritis, ran a shoe factory for the…

  • Methvin, O. H. · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and right here is where a significant chunk of this city began. About 1870, O. H. Methvin, who’d settled in this area a couple of decades earlier, donated a hundred acres of his land.…

  • Smith, John Tyson · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Longview area, home to John Tyson Smith, a man who wore many hats in this community. Born in Alabama in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, Smith moved to Texas with his family…

  • David Sutton Meredith · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, where David Sutton Meredith served as Gregg County Sheriff from 1916 to 1921. He played a crucial role in quelling potential race riots during the turbulent Longview Red Summer of 1919.…

  • David Sutton Meredith, Jr. · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Longview home of David Sutton Meredith, Jr., born right here in 1902. He became a prominent local lawyer, serving as county judge and county attorney before prosecuting 'hot oil' violations as a…

  • St. Anthony Catholic Church · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past St. Anthony Catholic Church in Longview. Established in 1880, it's been a cornerstone for the Hispanic population, holding the first mass in Spanish in 1981 and hosting Cinco de Mayo celebrations for…

  • Burnett, Richard Wesley [Dick] · 11.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, and right here is Gladewater, the lifelong home of Dick Burnett. He wasn't just an oilman; he was a baseball entrepreneur! Burnett struck oil in the 1930s, becoming wealthy, but his…

  • Shepperd, John Ben · 11.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Gladewater, where John Ben Shepperd was born. He became a powerful figure in Texas politics, serving as Attorney General in the 1950s. He took on big fights, like tackling…

  • Lawrence, Harding Luther · 11.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through North Texas, and right here is the hometown of Harding Lawrence, the man who transformed Braniff Airways into an industry icon. Growing up in Gladewater, Lawrence went on to lead Braniff from 1965…

  • Gladewater, TX · 11.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gladewater, a town that owes its boom to a gusher! Founded by the railroad in 1873, Gladewater grew slowly for decades. But on April 7, 1931, everything changed. Right near here, the first oil…

  • Gladewater · 11.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing through Gladewater, a town that exploded overnight! Originally founded as St. Clair back in 1827, it moved to this spot on the railroad in 1872. But the real boom happened in 1931 with the discovery of…

  • Angus, Dundee · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Angus, Dundee home, built by Dr. J. N. Allison, a pioneer physician. He even brought some building materials all the way from Virginia! But the real story here is the discovery right nearby that…

  • Teague, Latimus · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Earpville, one of Longview's oldest neighborhoods, and this house behind me is a rare survivor. Built before 1882, it was bought by Latimus and Mary Teague. But this home wasn't just a residence;…

  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Rusk County, and right here is Pleasant Hill Cemetery. It began in 1845, when Captain Robert W. Smith, a Texas Revolution veteran, donated this land. Initially, it was the resting place for…

  • Earpville · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising past the site of Earpville, a community that boomed in the late 1840s. Settled by James Earp and his kinfolk from Alabama, this spot was a vital stop on the stagecoach line. At its peak, Earpville had a…

  • Longview Community Center · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Longview Community Center, a building with a story that starts back in 1934. That's when Longview's Women's Clubs decided they needed a central place for community activities. They worked hard,…

  • Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Rusk County, passing the site of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. This spot has a history stretching back to 1845, when Captain Robert W. Smith, a Texas Revolution veteran, donated this…

  • Finch Family Home · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Finch Family Home in Longview. This early Victorian cottage was built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1898</say-as> by John Finch, on the very site where his family's original log cabin…

  • First Christian Church of Longview · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, where the First Christian Church was organized back in 1875. They met in a schoolhouse until they built their first sanctuary on land donated by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The…

  • The Ranger and the Game of Moon · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker

    Spur Sixty Three in Gregg County, from US Highway Eighty to Spur Five Oh Two, is the Texas Ranger Glenn Elliott Memorial Highway. Glenn Elliott was a Texas Ranger from nineteen sixty one to nineteen eighty seven, and…

  • The Derrick-a-Day Boomtown · 12.2 mi

    In 1930, Gladewater was a sleepy village of about five hundred people. Then, on April seventh, 1931, a well came in and everything changed. The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field turned this place into a real-life…

  • The Engineering of Oil Conservation · 12.2 mi

    The 1930s oil boom that built Gladewater was also an engineering disaster in the making. With thousands of wells drilled side-by-side, operators pumped oil as fast as possible to beat their neighbors. This competitive…

  • Gladewater, TX · 12.2 mi

    On April 7, 1931, Gladewater experienced a significant event with the blowing in of its first oil well, located just outside of town in the Sabine River bottom. This oil discovery led to a substantial population…

  • The King Before He Was King · 12.2 mi

    In 1955, before he was a global icon, Elvis Presley was a regular around Gladewater. He was twenty years old and a rising star on the Louisiana Hayride, the country radio show broadcast out of Shreveport, and Hayride…

  • Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Longview, and right here is Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House, a true east Texas landmark since 1949! Johnny Cace Jr. learned the ways of the sea from his Yugoslav immigrant father, who…

  • Millville Cemetery · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Millville Cemetery, a resting place with a unique look. Back in the 1840s, Jesse Walling, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, donated land for this community's church, school, Masonic lodge, and…

  • Gum Springs Cemetery · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Gum Springs Cemetery, a burial ground that started as a family plot in the 1850s. It grew to include a community school and a church, all named for a nearby spring. Over 800 people are buried here,…

  • Union Grove Cemetery · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Union Grove Cemetery. UNION GROVE CEMETERY HADEN HARRISON EDWARDS (1812-1864), A SOLDIER, MERCHANT AND LEGISLATOR, PURCHASED THIS LAND FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO IN 1835. EDWARDS SERVED IN THE FIRST…

  • New Providence Cemetery · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of New Providence Cemetery, a final resting place with a dramatic past. This cemetery was tied to the New Providence Missionary Baptist Church, founded in the 1880s. The first recorded…

  • Shiloh Baptist Church · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Shiloh Baptist Church in White Oak. It was founded in 1871 by former slave Butcher Christian and Reverend John Baptist. Services started in a log sanctuary on land donated by Christian. For years,…

  • Edwards Cemetery · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Edwards Cemetery, a graveyard for settlers as early as the mid-1850s. The earliest burial recorded here was infant Josephine Rucker in 1855. The cemetery is named for James William Cartwright…

  • Temple Emanu-El · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Longview, and you might notice the unique architecture of Temple Emanu-El. Its story starts not here, but in nearby Kilgore. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1936</say-as>, Temple Beth…

  • Union Grove Schools · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Union Grove, a place that really grew up around its schools. Back in 1888, a public school kicked off here with J.H. Sheppard at the helm. Fast forward to 1907, and the Union Grove Common School…

  • Elmira Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Elmira Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Pine Tree Cumberland Presbyterian Church began sponsoring Sunday School classes in the Spring Hill Schoolhouse after 1887. The Rev. W. M.

  • Post Oak Christian Methodist Episcopal Church · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Post Oak Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, formed in 1878 by African American Christians near Easton. Initially meeting in a log cabin, the congregation grew, building several…

Explore Kilgore on the Map
All music from Texas → Find another town Vote on city songs

Sign up for the free newsletter

Longer stories, research notes, photos, videos, and where the road goes next. Free, and no iPhone needed.

Subscribe free