Kilgore Woman’s Club learns history

Amid the sparkle of myriad Christmas trees and with carols from the player-piano, the Kilgore Woman’s Club met on Thursday, Dec. 8 in the home of Barbara Miller. Each room in the Miller home, including upstairs bedrooms, features a lighted Christmas tree, and every table-top boasts its own crystal nativity scene. A sleigh filled with greenery, and arrangements in the kitchen carry out the seasonal theme.

Mrs. Miller offered coffee, spiced tea, milk, punch, and a wide variety of seasonal sweets to her guests prior to the meeting in the den of her home.

Following the club tradition, members voted to place a book in the Kilgore Public Library in memory of deceased member, Edith Keller.

The group was reminded to send cards to members who are ill and homebound.

Peggy Bowne presented the program, a continuance of the current theme of Oil in East Texas. Mrs. Bowne grew up in Beaumont in Southeast Texas where the “granddaddy of East Texas oil was discovered in 1893 to 1896. On Jan. 10, 1901, the great gusher, “Spindletop,” was brought in. Oil flowed for nine days and 8,500 barrels were lost during that time. Some 40,000 boomers came to Beaumont and 500 oil and land companies brought $50 million with $80 million more invested. Approximately 359 million barrels and later another 17 million were produced.

Beaumont and Burkburnett were chief drilling points. A second Sprindletop boom brought in 10,000 employees. Ronnie Spradlin of East Texas Lumber Co. in Kilgore, continues to supply drilling mud to various East Texas oil producers.

Members attending (other than those previously mentioned) included Nadine Adamson, Carol Bolton, Ruth Ann Camp, Sharon Cox, Patti Cunyus, Dimi DeSantis, Janie Dickerson, Marada Early, Rosalee Floyd, Jeanne Hale, Dianna Jones, Gina Joseph, Carolyn Kennedy, Vernie Kunkle, Billie Oliphint, Virginia Wallace, and Ellen Watson.

The next meeting of the club will take place on Jan. 12, 2006 at the Cherokee Club. Members will gather at the parking lot of First Christian Church to carpool to Lake Cherokee.