ROOSTH & GENECOV The derrick, dedicated to Sam Roosth (1888-1949) and A.S. Genecov (1895-1971) by Roosth & Genecov Production Company, is located on the World's Richest Acre in downtown Kilgore. It was restored on the original well site of the Roosth & Genecov Production Company's Kilgore National Bank Well #1. The well, which was drilled through the bank floor, was completed on March 25, 1940, flowing 27 barrels of oil per hour. It was plugged on June 7, 1966. Mr. Roosth was born in Koryein, Poland, and arrived in America at the age of 19. He married Celia Wengrow in 1908 and had seven sons. He moved to Tyler in 1910, operating Roosth Bakery until 1924 when he entered dry goods merchandising. In the early 1930s, a handshake partnership formed Roosth & Genecov Production Company. A fierce Zionist, Mr. Roosth worked hard for the creation of the Nation of Israel, travelling throughout the country to raise money. He was a member of Congregation Ahavath Achim in Tyler. Mr. Genecov was born in Luptz, Russia, and came to United States in 1904. He attended school in Waco and after serving in the Army during World War I, moved to Tyler in 1935. He married Hilda Jarett of Corsicana and had two children. In addition to being an oil producer, Mr. Genecov was also involved in ranching and was a real estate investor. He was president of Roosth & Genecov Production Company, served as vice president of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce, president of the Tyler Federated Jewish Welfare Fund, and was a director of Lone Star Steel Company. Mr. Genecov also served as president of the East Texas Fair Association, on the board of the Medical Center Hospital, a director at Tyler Bank and Trust, Owen Development Company and vice president of Peoples Life Insurance Company. In addition, he served as co-chairman of the East Texas Agricultural Council and devoted himself to the March of Dimes fight against polio. He was honored by the State of Israel when he received the Tower of David Award in 1969. Mr. Genecov was a member of Congregation Ahavath Achim, Temple Beth El, the Rotary and Elks Clubs, as well as other organizations. The derrick site was provided by Frank and Sue Brown. The derrick was provided by Jarvis-Mullinax. JETER The derrick, located east of the depot on Commerce Street, is dedicated to Oscar Melvin Jeter (1878-1945) and Myra Stephens Jeter (1882-1972). They were a pioneer East Texas family who married in 1909 and operated a general store at 204 Commerce Street in Kilgore for 20 years, from 1915-1935. The dedication is made by their children Louise, John, Martha, Carl, Wayne, Jack and Melven: and their grandchildren J.T.. Jim. Theresa. Bob, Don, Jack, Jayne, Carl Jr., Lynelle, Carla, Myra, James, Sheryl, Marlene, Kenny and Louise. The site was provided by Union Pacific Railroad and the derrick by Texaco, Inc., Caddo Field, Louisiana. LOVE - ROBERTS The derrick, located east of the depot on Commerce Street along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to William Durward Love (1900-1971) and Mary`Florey Florence Love (1906-1986), Revis Roberts (,1897-1951) and Vesta Stubblefield Roberts by Jack D. Florence, Imogene Roberts Florence and James Leo Roberts. Mr. Love worked for Kilgore First National Bank for 40 years, and Mrs. Love was involved with S.W. Ross Interests for 50 years. Mr. Roberts was an employee of Gulf Oil Company for 30 years. The derrick was provided by Texaco, Inc. POWELL The derrick, located east of the depot on Commerce Street along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to Robert F. "Bob" Powell (1906-1968) and Gene Powell by David Gene Powell, Jeannene Powell Stone and James Mark Powell. Bob and Gene Powell moved to East Texas in the early 1930s. Bob Powell worked for Victory Swabbing Company and McAllister Fuel Company while Gene worked at Oil Well Supply Company. In the early 1960s, they formed E-Tex Well Service Company and later Gene Powell Investments, Inc. They have operated in excess of 300 wells in the East Texas Field since their companies were formed, including several wells at the World's Richest Acre. Gene Powell continues as president of Gene Powell Investments and operates wells in the East Texas Field. The derrick was provided by the Craig family, Jack and Jean, Harriett and Becky. SUTTON The derrick, located east of the depot on Commerce Street along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to Alvin Monroe (Al) Sutton (1879-1948) by his grandson, Ben. E. Sutton. The elder Sutton was born in Hot Springs County, Arkansas, and wildcatted in Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas before coming to East Texas in 1929. He operated Sutton & Sutton with Ben E. Sutton Sr., Sutton & Demontrand, Sutton & Hawkins and Navila Oil Corporation. He had a firewood yard as a teenager for his livelihood, and later reflected it was his first venture into the energy business. According to his grandson, the energy business was his lifetime love, and he always dealt with fairness so he could go back for business or maybe just to visit. The derrick was donated by Mike and Darlene Dailey, and sons Brandon and Justin, in honor of Virgel H. Dailey, Bobby 0. Dailey and Eugene Mayo Sr. ADAMSON The derrick, located east of the depot on Commerce Street along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to J.E. "Eddie" Adamson-(1911-1964) by Nova Ellen Adamson, Sammy Adamson, John Adamson and Bill Adamson. Associated with American Supply Company from 1932 to 1945 located at the site where the derrick is restored, Mr. Adamson founded Sabine Pipe & Supply Company in 1945 and in addition, owned and operated oil and gas wells in Texas and Louisiana. The company has furnished pipe and equipment to the East Texas Oil Field for over 50 years. According to his family, Mr. Adamson was known for his love of God, family and his fellow man. The derrick was provided by Adamson-Thrash, Young Lease Well #12. ROBBINS The derrick, located west of Main Street on Commerce along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to John Cyril Robbins (1897-1978) by his children Betty Robbins Lloyd, John Clinton Robbins and Dorothy Robbins Kennedy, and his grandchildren Charles Robbins Davis, Rebecca Lynn Robbins, Mary Susan Robbins Dickson, Carrie Christine Boren, George Earnest Kennedy III, Elizabeth Joyce Davis, Lila Gail Robbins Murphy, Beverly Ann Robbins. David Daniel Boren and Neina Mead Kennedy. Born in Dona Ana County near Las Cruces, N.M., in 1897, he served as a lieutenant in the tank corps in Europe in World War I. Mr. Robbins organized and owned Southwestern Drilling Company and drilled wells in New Mexico and West Texas. He graduated from New Mexico A&M in 1923, serving as student body president in 1922-23. He married Mary Lee Donaghey in 1932. He came to East Texas in April 1931 for the opportunity to be in on the development of the East Texas Oil Field. Over the next five years (1931-36), he bought and sold numerous leases and was instrumental in drilling and completing 33 producers in the field. One-third of these wells are still producing today after 73 years and are expected to last another 10 to 15 years. He formed Robbins Petroleum Corporation in Longview in 1939. Mr. Robbins, later joined by son John Clinton Robbins, discovered or participated in drilling the discovery well of the following fields: Pine Mills, Wood County, Texas; Caledonia, Rusk County, Texas; Danville, Gregg and Rusk Counties, Texas; Pone, Rusk County, Texas; Oldtown-Lewisville, Lafayette County, Arkansas; Champagnolle Landing, Union County, Arkansas; Robbins, Gregg County, Texas; Peatown, Gregg County, Texas and Pine Hollow, Houston County, Texas. In all, he was as an interest owner in 300 wells but the most important wells were here in the East Texas Oil Field. They were his bread and butter, and are still important to his heirs. A civic leader in Longview, he was senior warden emeritus of his church, Trinity Episcopal Church of Longview. He was also a philanthropist, giving scholarships to needy students and his time and money to numerous causes and projects. According to his family, his motto summed him up best: "Esse Quam Videri" - "To be rather than seem to be." The derrick was provided by Texaco, Inc. MILLER The derrick, located west of Main Street on Commerce along the railroad tracks, is dedicated to Paul Lewis Miller (1894-1990) by Ann Ida Buchanan Miller and Ann Ida Miller II. Although Dad Joiner's Daisy Bradford was the first well completed in the East Texas Oil Field, Mr. Miller bought the leases and was the operator on the Lou Della Crim No. I and No. 2. He drilled the first oil wells inside the city limits of Kilgore beginning on May 23, 1931. Prior to coming to East Texas, the Kenton, Ohio, native sought his fortune in Canada searching for gold. And when the gold vein didn't show, he moved to California where his mother and twin brother lived. He found a job selling expensive real estate in Hollywood in the mid-1920s. He went to school to learn to sell, but had chosen the wrong partners and soon, except for a few leases, was broke. A fateful telephone call and another man's persistence turned his life around. The man insisted on seeing Miller's leases. After purchasing them, he hired Miller to buy up leases with oil potential. The man turned out to be the president of Star Petroleum Company (later Cal-Star Petroleum Company) and was buying up leases after a 5,000 barrel well had come in California. In 1928, two years before the Daisy Bradford blew in and changed this region of the country forever, Mr. Miller moved to the Kilgore area to gather leases for Star Petroleum. A favorite family story of Mr. Miller goes thusly: "He did find a gold vein in Canada. He went back to camp to stake his claim and had a message that his mother had died, so he left to go back to California. Later he bought stock in numerous mining companies in that area. He sold his stock in one company at a profit of nearly $100,000. So he did strike gold after all!" The derrick is provided by N.P. Powell Estate, Caldwell #1. BOLDING The derrick, located at the corner of Longview Street and Highway 42, is dedicated by the Lloyd Bolding family to the City of Kilgore and all their East Texas friends that first welcomed the family to Kilgore in June 1961. It is also dedicated to the East Texas Oil Industry, G.W. Boyd and B.V. Fox and all the employees of Acid Engineering, Inc., Dyna-Test, Inc. and Ceco Equipment, Inc. Lloyd Bolding's first recollection of the oil industry is at age six, sitting with his father on the floor of a drilling rig, watching a well being drilled about 200 yards from their house, south of Wewoka, Oklahoma. It was exciting to see oil flowing from the well, he says, because all the adults seemed excited. He grew up with wells on every side of his home, listening to the gas engines as he awoke and listening to them when he went to sleep. Lloyd learned not to hear the engines but house guests never did. The only time they heard any noise was when the engines quit pumping. Surrounded by oil wells and oil people, it was only natural to envision that one day Lloyd would enter the oil business. Born in 1934, Lloyd and his family lived on Indian land and all their neighbors were Seminole Indians. He started school at New Model, Oklahoma, and went through the eighth grade before graduating in 1952 from high school at Wewoka, Oklahoma headquarters for the Seminole Nation. His education was delayed two years while serving in the Army and was pushed back further with a year of roughnecking offshore in Louisiana. Army and roughneck pay convinced Lloyd that he had to pursue further education, graduating in 1961 from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering. His first job assignment was with Dowell in Kilgore, and later he worked for Pure Oil Company in Van. He transferred to Olney. Illinois, with Pure Oil (purchased later by Union Oil of California) and remained there until 1966 when he found enough nerve and financial support to start his own oil well stimulation company. Lloyd, Evelyn and their young son Bo moved to Seminole, Oklahoma, and lived with Evelyn's parents while Lloyd, G.W. Boyd and various welders fabricated Acid Engineering's first pump truck. In June, 1966, the Boldings moved back to Kilgore, this time with their own bright new blue and white pump truck. He wanted nothing more than to work that truck and get it paid for. In 1967, he added a second truck and a second son, Jeff. Thinking he'd never again leave Kilgore. Lloyd saw a business opportunity in 1970 in West Texas and moved to Denver City, promising Evelyn they would only be there a few months. Five years later, Evelyn moved back to Kilgore and of course, Lloyd followed her. Acid Engineering was Lloyd Bolding's dream for 27 years, through the challenging late `60s and early `70s to the boom years of the early '80s to the bust of 1985. With support of family and "the best team of employees in the industry," Acid Engineering survived the challenge. "I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in an industry that I truly love," he says. The derrick was provided by Texaco. Inc. and the site provided by the Bolding family. ELDER The derrick, located in the 200 block of north Kilgore Street, is dedicated in honor of Winter Dickson Elder and Jack Elder Sr, by their children Susie Elder Merritt and Dr. Jack D. Elder Jr., grandchildren Kellie Anne Elder Blakcley, Ginger Leigh Elder Smith, Kristin Clair Elder, Tiffany Anne Merritt Johnston and Tara Winter Merritt Ford, and great-grandchildren Robert Preston Blakeley, Austin Liberty Smith, Travis Kelly Smith, Alexis Winter Johnston, Colby Caroline Johnston, Jack Bryan Johnston, Merritt Steven Ford and Savannah Winter Ford. Jack Elder Sr. is an accomplished photographer and during World War II, served as the head of Lockheed's photography department in Dallas. He is also a noted author, publishing a photographic history of the oil industry in Kilgore entitled "The Glory Days" during the late 1980s. In addition, he followed that publishing with another book called "The Gory Days." Winter Elder managed the Kelly Dickson Estate since 1962 which included numerous buildings in downtown Kilgore. They were married for 64 years. The derrick was provided by Texaco, Inc. and the site donated by Susie Elder Merritt and Dr. Jack D. Elder Jr. in honor of their parents. |