October 22nd, 2010
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.
Tags: Antique Jewelry, Black Gold, East Texas, East Texas Oil Museum, Elementar, First Doom, Fun Place, Fun Time, Great Depression, Grocery Stores, Jails, Kilgore College, Kilgore Oil Museum, Kilgore Texas, Oil Boom, Oil Fields, Oil Museum, Old Furniture, Old Radios, Old Town, Post Offices, Puppets
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December 11th, 2009
Tyler TX, The Rose Capital
Is The Rose Capital Of The World All Hype?
Have you ever wondered why people call Tyler TX the Rose Capital of the World? Is this hype or is there some truth to the statement? It actually is the truth, Tyler was the first city to commercialize the sell of roses. Tyler invented the rose selling industry and now you hear about flowers.com all the time on radio shows like Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, and Glen Beck. Tyler TX is a pretty unique little city and is known for inventing a lot of neat little ideas and products. Did you know someone from Tyler TX was also responsible for inventing the adopt a highway program. This program is now a very popular highway clean up system throughout the United States. So let’s learn a little more about Tyler Texas as the Rose Capital of the World.
Tyler Texas Rose Capital History
The sandy soil, year round rain fall and normal weather patterns allowed Tyler to be an ideal place for growing flowers. After the East Texas peach crop disaster most of the nurseries in Tyler began growing roses. Most of the commercial roses being grown in the nation in the 20’s and 30’s were coming from Tyler.
A Prosperous East Texas Town Even During The Depression
The continued prosperity from rose production and the oil boom in the 1930’s allowed Tyler to offer an elaborate Rose festival and parade throughout the depression. While other cities in the nation were in financial catastrophe Tyler TX remained stable economically and people were able to enjoy extra curricular city events like the Rose festival. Tyler has continued to show off it’s proud history in the Rose industry by having a Rose parade and festival year after year.
Commercial Rose Production
At this time it is estimated that about 20% of the roses produced in the United States come from Tyler Texas. One of the landmark areas most Tylerites are familiar with when it comes to Roses is the Brookshires at Broadway and Rice Road. At this corner you can get dollar Roses year round. There is usually a lady with a nursery van and a bucket full of roses. You can stop in at Brookshires, buy some roses for your wife, and maybe drive across the street to Marble Slab Creamery for a little snack.
Tags: Crop Disaster, East Texas Town, Financial Catastrophe, Glen Beck, Growing Flowers, Growing Roses, marble slab creamery, Oil Boom, Peach Crop, Proud History, Radio Shows, Rain Fall, Rose Capital, Rose Capital of the World, Rose festival, Rose parade, Rose Production, Rush Limbaugh, Sandy Soil, Tyler Rose Capital, Tyler Texas, Tyler Texas Roses, Tyler TX, Weather Patterns
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