Chosen by fortune for glory, the world first knew Beaumont through Spindletop, the oil field that proved petroleum could be found in quantities to supply the world. The technology, industry, and commerce that followed the petroleum bonanza grew and diversified until today where Beaumont’s oil industries resource the world. Traces of those glory days and great oil wealth still remain in abundance with our elegant homes, a dedication to the performing arts, a plethora of museums, eminent hospitals, and a university system working in partnership with the industry.

Beaumont was established in 1835 along the banks of the Neches River while Texas was still it’s own independent nation. The Third Congress of the Republic of Texas chartered Beaumont on December 16, 1838. Before it became an actual establishment, fur trappers from France and Spain visited Beaumont in the early 1800's. Beaumont soon became a lumbering, cattle, and timber town as well as the center of the economy in east Texas.

In 1892, the Gladys City Company was formed to search for oil and drill on the south side of Beaumont. They continued drilling for oil until they found exactly what they were searching for after the turn of the century. On January 10, 1901, at approximately 10:30 AM, Beaumont became of age when the first great oil well in the world, the Anthony F. Lucas Gusher, blew at the Spindletop Hill. The oil well flowed at an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels per day. In 1900, the population of Beaumont was 8,500 citizens; within a mere 30 days after the discovery of oil at Spindletop, the population, like our oil, exploded and reached to 30,000 people. By 1903, it was already 50,000 residents.

Today there is a replica of Gladys City located about a little over a mile from the original site. This land was donated by the prosperous McFaddin family. The Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum is open to visitors Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5PM and Sunday 1-5 PM. At the original location, there is a viewing platform and an American flag to remember all the glory of Spindletop Hill.

Besides the oil discovery, we embarked along with the nation in the industrial age. Many businesses came to Beaumont, including over 600 oil companies. Our petrochemical giants include Guffey Petroleum Company (Gulf, now Chevron), the Texas Company (now Texaco/Star Enterprise), Standard Oil (now Exxon), and Magnolia Petroleum Company (now Mobil). Exxon and Mobil have recently merged into ExxonMobil. Our oil provides Beaumont with success, expansion, business, and some of the lowest gasoline prices across the United States and worldwide.