Kilgore Oil Museum
The Oil Museum in Kilgore Texas is a reminder of how East Texas became known and how the people of East Texas were able to endure The Great Depression by the discovery of “black gold”. The museum recreates the way people lived during the discovery of the largest discovery of oil in the United States. The museum is located on the campus of Kilgore College.
As you walk into the museum you are lead into the first doom shaped room that portrays some history of the oil fields. The Oil Museum brings you back in time by showing you some treasures from the 1930’s. The museum has a display of old furniture, 1930 cars, antique jewelry, and old radios. As you walk into the final room you are sent back into time as you walk through an old town. Walk through old restaurants, grocery stores, jails, and post offices. They display how the roads were affected by the oil boom, with cars, people, and animals sinking in the black mud. Not very much has changed through all the years that I have visited the museum. They have a small theater that shows the same short movie that was played when I was young. The movie shows the life styles of the people and the changes that happened after the founding of the oil in Kilgore and even has some real footage. Your little children will love the fun “elevator” ride. Take a trip under ground through the different levels of earth and rock. Fun puppets will put on a show to educate children of the different levels of rocks, and how people get oil out of the ground. As you are leaving you can visit the gift shop to get a shirt, candy, or a small gift to remember the fun time you had at the museum.
People travel to visit the Oil Museum. It is a fun place to bring your family and learn an important history of Kilgore, Texas. Although the museum has not changed very much, it does not really need to change. It is a great place to bring an elementary class. The Oil Museum is very fun and educational.