By P.A. Geddie
Exploring Rusk, Upshur, and Gregg counties in the Upper East Side of Texas, visitors find the vast area of the East Texas Oil Field and the resulting fulfillment of dreams ignited by the oil boom era. This region was mostly an easygoing rural farming area prior to the discovery of the “Black Giant” in the early 1930s. It was about 45 miles long and five to 12 miles wide in various locations and encompassed 140,000 acres. News accounts back in the day said it made earlier oil booms in the country look like “dress rehearsals.”
Many colorful stories and characters came out of the early years. The disabled, poetry-quoting con man — Columbus “Dad” Joiner — discovered the field. Gambler H.L. Hunt became one of America’s first billionaires. The rowdy roughnecks and wildcatters created all kinds of shenanigans. A Texas Ranger brought his tough style of law to restore order and stability.
During the oil boom years, only a few reached wealthy status, but the communities benefited from the influx of money going towards better schools, fine dining, and lively entertainment opportunities. Even the less fortunate, who had long endured hardship, believed in their dreams for the first time.
“Spring Melody” mural by Wendy and Ava Arnold in Longview Arts District; ArtsView Children’s Theatre, Kilgore derricks by Mike Engelman, Henderson Depot Museum, Texas Shakespeare, Gregg County History Museum, Texan Theater, Kilgore Rangerette, Downtown Henderson, Daffodils by Bobbye Koncak reminiscent of Mrs Lee’s Daffodil Gardens in Gladewater. In the center is a map of the 45 mile long oil discovery called the Black Giant.Exploring Rusk, Upshur, and Gregg counties in the Upper East Side of Texas, visitors find the vast area of the East Texas Oil Field and the resulting fulfillment of dreams ignited by the oil boom era. This region was mostly an easygoing rural farming area prior to the discovery of the “Black Giant” in the early 1930s. It was about 45 miles long and five to 12 miles wide in various locations and encompassed 140,000 acres. News accounts back in the day said it made earlier oil booms in the country look like “dress rehearsals.”
The communities of Henderson, Kilgore, and Longview pay homage to their rich history of the glory days of “Black Gold” and the inspiring creativity and innovation that grew from it and continues to shape the region today.
The nationally recognized historic downtown district of Henderson invites visitors to stroll through carefully preserved buildings, enjoying shopping and dining along the way. Downtown is often where visitors and residents alike gather for special events. The town’s annual events further the message that “time stands still” in Henderson. They celebrate Mardi Gras with a gumbo cook-off, beautiful spring wildflowers, an antique tractor show, the Heritage Syrup Festival, and Hallmark-style holiday events. It is also home to a gathering each year for sacred harp singing, a historic a cappella and four-part harmony form of music.
The five-acre Depot Museum complex is home to more than a dozen restored historic structures, including a cotton gin, carousel, train caboose, print shop, and a dry goods store. It also has the only outhouse in Texas with a state historical marker. Inside the museum are Native American artifacts, an original covered wagon, a one-room schoolhouse, and a historic kitchen. The Children’s Discovery Center offers hands-on activities encouraging developmental growth for young ones.
The Depot Museum complex and other sites around town are home to the annual Heritage Syrup Festival, celebrating the tradition of ribbon cane syrup making powered by mules. The popular event also features folk artists, hayrides, classic cars, antique tractors, and live music.
Making syrup at Henderson’s annual festival.
In Henderson, it is all about time. From lovingly restored historic buildings to modern-day amenities, Henderson has a way of making visitors “feel at home in the present, while reminiscing about the past.” Its downtown area — prestigiously awarded a spot in the National Register of Historic Districts — has dozens of original historic buildings, some built as early as the 1880s. Two blocks in town feature authentic red-brick streets. The architecture includes Classical, Greek Revival, and sections of Art déco.
The attention to preservation and landscaping in town creates a beautiful backdrop for strolling through shops and restaurants, before taking a break in Main Street Alley, a pocket park with picnic tables and public restrooms. Friendly small business owners offer clothing, gifts, antiques, home decor, and jewelry. Culinary choices include home-style meals, burgers, Cajun, and barbecue. Henderson showcases historic museums and home tours and several parks — including one for dogs. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy lake views, fishing, disc golf, playgrounds, walking trails, a skate park, a splash pad, washer pitching, and picnics.
An active community theatre group regularly performs in a restored opera house.
Ample lodging facilities are nearby to all that Henderson offers.
Lake Forest Park in Henderson.
Named for the first governor of Texas — James Pinckney Henderson — the city of Henderson is the seat of Rusk County. The area surrounding the quaint town is full of picturesque prairies. In the spring each year, thousands of people enjoy self-guided driving tours featuring colorful wildflowers throughout historic Rusk County. Other notable sites along the backroads and byways are found in and around the communities of Joinerville, New London, Overton, Tatum, and Mount Enterprise.
Henderson lies just outside the 45-mile-long East Texas Oil Field. The Gaston Museum in nearby Joinerville revisits life in the 1930s. Because of the oil boom, the area had the largest rural school in the world during that time. Visitors learn about the old Gaston School at the museum and other memories of life before and after the discovery of oil.
Dedicated “to the pioneers of the Great East Texas Oil Field” in nearby Pioneer Park is the first “Joe Roughneck” memorial. Joe Roughneck is a recognized symbol of the oil and gas industry, created in 1959 by artist Torg Thompson. The October 1930 discovery well is close by and still producing for the Hunt Oil Company.
On the way to New London, travelers pass the Pleasant Hill Cemetery on State Highway 323. Looking at the markers, visitors quickly notice that one right after the other contains the same death date, March 18, 1937. One hundred seventy-one markers there contain the names of students killed when the New London School exploded because of a gas leak, just 10 minutes before dismissal for the day. Buried elsewhere are another 122 students and teachers who died that day.
Entering the town of New London today, visitors see a tall cenotaph — an empty tomb — in the middle of the street. The sculpture is 32 feet high, and the individual names of the 293 students and teachers who died are listed on its base.
Across the street is the London Museum Cafe & Soda Fountain, which chronicles the town’s history with documents of the tragic school explosion. Two weeks after the incident, Congress enacted a law to add odor to natural gas, saving countless lives since then.
In nearby Overton, guests find a nice resting area at Overton Lake with a pavilion and park setting along with a golf course.
Down Highway 43 at County Road 2183, travelers find Harmony Hill, a National Historic Site. It is one of Rusk County’s ghost towns and where a pre-Civil War cemetery is located.
Just down the road is the entrance to Martin Creek Lake State Park. The park offers choices for outdoor fun, fishing, and camping. A field bird checklist is available at the park headquarters.
Further along Highway 43, drivers find the city of Tatum, and nearby is Eagle’s Nest Park with a nice walking trail.
A southeast driving tour from Henderson follows Highway 259 over to Mount Enterprise, one of the oldest towns in Rusk County. A travel center shares the community’s history. The Old Mill Flea Market takes place on weekends and several antique stores and shops line the main street.
A place of significant discoveries, Kilgore takes its oil boom days seriously. Stately derricks dot the township, crowned with stars that light up the night sky. Visitors learn about the community’s history at the East Texas Oil Museum on the Kilgore College campus. The college is also home to the Rangerettes Showcase & Museum, featuring displays of the famous dance drill team that brought “show business” to the football gridiron.
Kilgore Rangerettes perform all kinds of dance moves for special events including an annual holiday show.
Several scenic parks invite guests to enjoy nature among the pines, and a steel forest of steeple-high oil derricks makes up the centrally located World’s Richest Acre Park.
Kilgore has a thriving downtown with boutiques, culinary options, historic murals, and intriguing architecture. Arts and culture abound with a nice array of exhibitions, performing arts events, theater productions, concerts, and book signings. Annual events include the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Reel East Texas Film Festival, East Texas Pipe Organ Festival, as well as ongoing holiday and seasonal events. Kilgore offers an eclectic selection of culinary delights, including home-cooked traditional country food and burgers, famous barbecue, steaks, seafood, and even Hungarian dishes made from scratch.
Several places to stay are conveniently located to all that is gushing in Kilgore.
Easily walkable streets lined with unique boutiques, mercantile and music stores, eateries, preserved Art déco buildings, and even an old-fashioned barbershop make downtown Kilgore a place for an enjoyable stroll just about any time of the year. The 37 statuesque oil derricks standing nearby and carefully displayed signs of the town’s famous high-stepping Rangerettes keep visitors in a celebratory mood. It is all part of the plan to make sure visitors discover genuine Southern hospitality in Kilgore.
Kilgore has a strong film community, with an annual event, an active luxury-seating movie theater, and two carefully restored historic theater buildings where special events take place.
The Van Cliburn Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus is home to numerous performances for larger audiences, including college theater productions and the annual Texas Shakespeare Festival.
More fun takes place at the roller skating rink, splash park, dirt racing track, sixteen-lane bowling alley, and a nine-hole golf course. Visitors also enjoy touring the many gardens and historical sites, including the town library, which is in a historic 1939 building.
Kilgore sits on the northern edge of Rusk County and extends into Gregg County. It is home to the World’s Richest Acre Park and the East Texas Oil Museum, celebrating its oil boom days. Providing entertainment throughout the world, the famous high-kicking Rangerettes are based in Kilgore.
Kilgore is also the hometown of the late Van Cliburn and is where he learned to play piano. At 23-years-old, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold War. Kilgore’s Van Cliburn Auditorium, a 220-seat indoor theatre in the Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center, is the primary performance space for the Kilgore College Theatre Department and the Texas Shakespeare Festival.
Britt’s Wine & Dine is a restaurant and wine-tasting facility occupying the cafeteria of a former elementary school. It offers a spacious and open dining room with a full-length bar. By request, visitors enjoy wine tastings paired with a three-course dinner. The cuisine and wines are handmade by proprietor Britt Davis. He is a self-described foodie who makes his own wine from grapes grown in West Texas.
Venturing out and about from the Kilgore area, visitors find the Creekside Trail with more than two and a half miles of a winding path through beautiful woods along Bighead Creek. It is a favorite location for walkers, runners, and bikers. Another trail is located north of Kilgore, near the White Oak community.
Hopping over into Upshur County, travelers find Gladewater, Big Sandy, and Gilmer. Big Sandy is home to Big Sandy Music Hall and Americana Rock music group The Kirbys. They host periodic concerts and jam sessions in a historic repurposed church building. Downtown, visitors learn about area history at the Big Sandy Museum and find a handful of shops in historic buildings.
The Upshur County seat is the town of Gilmer. The East Texas Yamboree has taken place there since 1935, celebrating the area’s mass production of sweet potatoes. Visitors find the Upshur Museum, the Flight of the Phoenix Museum, Oglesby’s Tire and Rock Museum, and the Upshur County Library. It is the birthplace of Eagles’ founder Don Henley, romantic crooner Johnny Mathis, and blues musician Freddie King.
Rowdy Creek Ranch near Gilmer
Several destination centers are in the beautiful countryside between Gilmer and Longview. Rowdy Creek Ranch sits on four hundred fifty acres with vintage “glamping” trailers. On site are a vineyard and winery with a tasting room and event center.
Shadow Ranch is a fully functioning exotic livestock ranch on 45 acres, with deer, sheep, and other free-roaming livestock. A country store called The Market offers Wagyu beef, and The Barn is an event and wedding venue. Overnight guests are welcome to stay in The Lodge, which accommodates up to 12 people in four bedrooms.
South of Gilmer is Gladewater, known as the Antique Capital of East Texas, with fun shops along its downtown main street. Its oil history is noted with area derricks and its annual East Texas Gusher Days event. The Gladewater Museum features exhibits on its oil and gas history and others telling the stories of well-known musicians who performed and stayed overnight in Gladewater, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jim Reeves.
Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden is a must-see for a short period during February and March. Between Gladewater and Kilgore, millions of golden daffodils adorn more than 28 acres of a drivable trail.
The suburbs of Longview slide right over the Upshur County line.
ArtWalk in Longview’s Cultural District. A.L.O. Photography.
The Arts!Longview Cultural District resonates with those who love the arts, history, and culture in a walkable area of downtown Longview. A fine arts museum with exhibits throughout the year, a children’s theater, sculpture garden, two parks, historic train depot, historical museum, and library are all within a few blocks. The district is home to the Longview Symphony and a kids’ hands-on discovery center. Freedom of expression in all art forms is encouraged.
The cultural district also stretches south to LeTourneau University, which features the Glaske Sculpture, the R.G. LeTourneau Museum, and the Belcher Center with a stage filled throughout the year with concerts, variety shows, speakers, ballet, and symphonies.
Arts!Longview is often visited and supported by some of its famous native sons and daughters, including country music legend Neal McCoy, Ballet West’s Beckanne Sisk, renowned fashion designer Brandon Maxwell, and poet laureate Nathan Brown.
Beautiful murals by local artists keep the creative vibe present throughout the district and often serve as backdrops to special events.
Fine art is complemented by fine food, craft beer, and artisan coffee. Special events take place throughout the year, including regular art walks and festivals, and frequent live acoustic music and concerts. Visitors find an arboretum and nature trails nearby and much more to explore in Longview.
Longview Symphony
The Arts!Longview Cultural District is a great place to enjoy unique experiences. Guests hear the Longview Symphony in concert, take a walking tour of the downtown murals, and visit the Gregg County Historical Museum to see how the town got its start. Downtown boutiques and shops offer clothing, gifts, and vintage items, and guests can even enjoy sipping wine while settling in to read a new book at a combination bookstore and wine bar.
Special events take place all year long, and visitors often plan around them to spend a few days in Longview. Events include boat shows, vintage and farmers’ markets, and the Great Texas Balloon Race. Between events, there is always something creative to experience.
Besides the thriving Arts!Longview and downtown districts, Longview boasts many outdoor gardens, walking trails, playgrounds, and parks, including a dog park. Other area activities offer indoor trampolines, arcades, ax throwing, and perfect settings for just about any sports need.
A favorite for kids of all ages, Longview World of Wonders offers an educational environment to inspire a lifelong love of learning by giving children hands-on opportunities to imagine, create, and explore.
This article comes from the book, Upper East Side of Texas: Small Towns and Cultural Districts. The book contains more than 300 photographs and commentary on the history, scenery, art, and agriculture of the region. Go to www.SpeckledCrow.com to find it in shops or on Amazon.
