From the perspective of 90 years, W.A. “Tex” Moncrief Jr. still remembers the hazy, rainy day the well came in. It was a day that forever changed East Texas history.
<p>Barney Skipper, born in Alabama in 1882, was a farmer and real-estate man in Longview. For 25 years he’d tried to get petroleum companies to drill in Gregg County.</p>
<p>Pioneer settlers were naturally concerned with the prospects for raising a good crop in the Longview area.</p>
The building that houses the Gregg County Historical Museum itself is an important part of Longview history.
Gold and silver rode the steadily lengthening railroad tracks as the Southern Pacific Railway steamed inland to Longview. The railroad brought new settlers, business and industry, creating a money market and the first bank with a booming population.
Gold and silver rode the steadily lengthening railroad tracks as the Southern Pacific Railway steamed inland to Longview. The railroad brought new settlers, business and industry, creating a money market and the first bank with a booming population.
<p>There was a day when the plow was more symbolic of Longview industry than the oil derrick.</p>
From Staff Reports
Boldface type nearly 3 inches high told the story Jan. 26, 1931, when the Lathrop No. 1 discovery well blew in.
From Staff Reports