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January 12, 2008

Spindletop Boomtown reopens

By Sherry Koonce

BEAUMONT — BEAUMONT —Warm temperatures blanketed by a beautiful blue sky set the stage Saturday morning for the grand reopening celebration at Lamar University’s Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum.

The museum, which originally opened in 1976 to preserve the rich history of the modern petroleum industry, reopened Saturday to much fanfare. Those attending watched a reenactment of the historical blowing of the Lucas Gusher, and visited replicated storefronts that were reminiscent Gladys City during the 1900s oilfield boom.

The event marked the end of a two-year rebuilding program resulting from extensive damage caused by Hurricane Rita.

“Nowhere in the region did we suffer the wrath of Rita like we did here. It was really devastating,” said Jimmy Simmons, president of Lamar University.

The day’s event started with a few words from speakers familiar with the museum, and with the oil industry.

Dressed in period costume as an early 1900s school marm, Evelyn Lord, former mayor Beaumont and chairman of the Spindletop-Gladys City re-opening committee, said the replicated Lucas gusher was still standing.

“It never went down. It was built to withstand hurricane wind, and it did,” she said.

Richard Bothel, executive director, Continuing and Distance Education at Lamar University said he surveyed the damage sustained at the museum just three days after Hurricane Rita hit Southeast Texas, and found that all 18 of the buildings were damaged.

“With all the damage at that time, it was real hard to imagine Gladys City would get back to where it was,” he said.

Guest speaker Darrell Jacob, Total Petrochemicals plant manager, said as a small-town Texas boy, he was honored to be speaking at the birthplace of the modern-day oil industry.

“It was that incredible spirit and drive of those early Southeast Texans that overcame the obstacles and delivered that great event of January 10, 1901, the Lucas Gusher,” he said.

Citing major expansions and new facilities in the oil and gas industry, growing schools and retail business combined with a demand for housing that defies other areas of the country, Jacob said Southeast Texas stood poised for another industrial boom.

“Prospects for economic activity now appear the highest since Spindletop days,” he said.

Guests attending the event watched volunteers dressed in period costume while an original song penned by Tracy Byrd set the stage for the gusher’s reenactment.

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