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Photo of Newgulf
in its productive heyday
Courtesy Wharton County Historical Museum |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The Texas Gulf Sulphur Company
built the town in 1928 - before most of Wharton
County had paved roads. Named by contest (open to employees only),
Newgulf was comprised of 400 one, two, and three bedroom houses that
were leased to employees. The town even had its own downtown - a single
four-lane road with essential businesses on either side, including
a movie theater.
The town had its own post office and the company provided a hospital,
library, school, and golf course. The population of Newgulf was 1,586
in 1940 - the highest it would ever be. The semi-isolated community
was a world unto itself - and residents developed into a very close-knit
community - seldom venturing out - even to still-developing Boling
- just 3 miles away.
The year Newgulf "opened" an independent school district was formed
with three schools. Iago,
Texas and Newgulf each had elementary schools, and Boling
hosted the region's high school. After WWII
Newgulf began to decline as the demand for sulphur deceased. Texas
Gulf Sulphur built new plants and local employees were laid off.
Company houses were first sold to "civilian" buyers in the early 60s.
More efficient mining practices led to further layoffs and for the
1980 census there were just under 1,000 residents. Only 100 houses
remained by 1990 and residents did more of their shopping in Wharton.
The clubhouse and golf course continued in operation but in 1993 the
post office closed and the Newgulf school merged with the Boling
school.
The mine site continued to maintain a skeleton crew through the 1990s
but today Newgulf and its landmark twin smokestacks are included in
the long list of Texas ghost
towns. |
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Photo
courtesy Lauren Meyers, 2006 |
Historical Marker:
Texas Gulf
Sulphur Company-Newgulf
The Gulf Sulphur
Company began in Matagorda County in 1909, and in 1918 changed its
name to Texas Gulf Sulphur Company. A plant was built at the Big Hill
Dome, and the first sulphur was produced in 1919. A company town was
created and named Gulf, Texas. New reserves of sulphur were acquired
in Wharton County. When the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company began operations
on the Boling Dome in 1928, a new company town was established named
Newgulf. The town contained businesses, more than 350 homes, a school,
library, hospital, movie house, golf course and county club. Baptist,
Methodist, Catholic and Presbyterian churches built sanctuaries. Newgulf
Post Office began service in October 1928 and ended service in March
1994.
Texas Gulf Sulphur Company produced in excess of 80.8 million long
tons of Sulphur from the Boling Dome, to make it the largest sulphur
production mine in the world, Texas Gulf was acquired by a French
petrochemical corporation in 1981. Sulphur production ceased in 1993,
and the town of Newgulf was dismantled; it was among the last company
towns to exist in Texas.
(1996) |
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Texas Gulf Sulphur
Company-Newgulf Historical Marker
in the Wharton County Historical Museum
Courtesy Wharton County Historical Museum |
Loading sulphur
into hopper cars by railroad crane
Courtesy Wharton County Historical Museum |
Newgulf, Texas
Forum
Subject:
Boling/Iago/New
Gulf
My mother grew up in the Texas Gulf Sulfur company town of New Gulf
ca. 1928-1944 and graduated from Boling High School. Her father
and numerous relatives worked with TGS. As I recall she spoke of
her first job as a teen with a Brockmann's Drygoods Store in the
town.
My grandfather had a home in Iago
for many years which is still standing on the main street parallel
to the old railroad and current highway. Our family visited and
even stayed there several stints in between venues from 1944-1955
in which I attended Iago Elementary for short times. We stayed in
a homemade trailer house on the property among the pumpjacks and
oil tanks. Granddad kept a milk cow which he stake-tied and grazed
on the abundant grass along the tracks. One day tragedy hit when
it got loose on the tracks and was hit by a train.
The one store in the fifties was on the corner, building still standing.
For a prolonged period there was a Red Ryder BB gun in the window
that I coveted and dreamed of having every visit. I saved every
penny I could gather and earn to buy it when we returned again with
constant fear it would be sold. Fortunately, it or one like it was
there when finally I bought it on one of the visits.
I visited periodically Boling, Iago
and the TGS ghost town and plant out of nostalgia over the years
and recently retired back to the region. On Nov 23, 2015 on such
a tour with a visiting relative we learned of the old Boling jail
which I was unaware of over the many years and visited it. It was
supposedly built in the pre-'20's and been recorded as a historic
site. Hopefully it will be preserved as a Texas landmark eventually.
It may be a worthwhile addition to your site on Boling. http://www.tinytexasjails.com/?page_id=618
- Wallace L. McKeehan, November 26, 2015
Subject:
Remembering Newgulf
I WAS RAISED IN NEWGULF. I WAS BORN IN WHARTON IN 1946, MY PARENTS
BONNIE JOHNS O'NEAL AND FATHER LL O'NEAL, JR BOTH GRADUATED FROM
BOLING HIGH SCHOOL. THEY LIVED IN OLD GULF AND WENT TO SCHOOL THERE
AND WHEN NEWGULF OPENED UP THEY MOVED. MY GRANDFATHERS BOTH WORKED
FOR TEXAS GULF SULPHUR. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY DID. NEWGULF WAS ONE
OF THE BEST PLACES TO GROW UP IN. IT WAS SO COOL BECAUSE YOU NEVER
HAD LOCK YOUR DOORS, HOLLOWEEN WAS MORE FUN NO PROBLEMS, HOLIDAYS
WERE GREAT , CHRISTMAS THEY DID LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER TOWNS BECAUSE
WE DECRATED OUR FRONT DOORS AND HAD PRIZES.
OUR FRIENDS WE HAD WERE VERY CLOSE. THERE WERE ONLY 3 CHURCHES IN
NEWGULF, CATHOLIC IN WHAT WE CALLED MEXICAN TOWN, BAPTIST CHURCH
NEXT TO THE ELEMTARY SCHOOL, AND THE METHODIST CHURCH NEXT TO THE
LIBRARY.
OUR LITTLE TOWN HAD A HOSPITAL WITH TWO DOCTORS THAT I REMEMBER.
DR. SIMONS, AND JOHNSON. IT WAS A GOOD HOSPITAL, AND THE DOCTORS
AND NURSES WHERE GREAT.
THE HOUSES YOU SHOW WERE NOT BUILT UNTIL SOMETIME IN THE LATE 50'S
THE HOUSES WE ALL LIVED IN WERE WOOD FRAME HOUSE WELL BUILT AND
WELL TAKEN CARE OF BY THE COMPANY. I KNOW WE LIVED IN 3 HOUSES IN
NEWGULF UNTIL WE MOVED IN 1963 TO WHARTON. ON OUR STREET WHICH WAS
AVE. H THE 1ST HOUSE CLOSE TO DOWN TOWN ON THE LEFT WAS MY GRANDPARNETS
THE JOHNS, YOU CAME DOWN ABOUT 5 BLOCKS THE 1ST HOUSE ON RIGHT WAS
OUR THE ONEALS, WHICH WAS THE HOUSE MY DAD LIVED IN WHEN THEY MOVED
FROM OLD GULF, AND AT THE END OF THAT BLOCK ON THE RIGHT WAS MY
AUNT AND UNCLE THE STAFFA'S MY WHOLE FAMILY LIVED ON THE STREET.
HOW GREAT IS THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU WHEN MY AUNT DIED THERE WERE SOME OF US TALKING ABOUT
GROWING UP IN NEWGULF AND WHAT A WONDERFUL THING IT WAS. YES , WE
HAD 2 GROCERY STORES, AT ONE TIME THERE WAS A SHOW, PHARMACY, BARBER
SHOP AND BEAUTY SHOP, DRY CLEANERS, 2 PLACES YOU COULD BUY CLOTHES
AND SHOES, AND OTHER THINGS. LATER THERE WAS A CAFE BUILT. THEN
WE HAD A PLACE FOR THE KIDS TO GO WHERE WE COULD GET HAMBURGERS,
AND THE WORKS, JUKE BOX AND ALL GOOD THINGS. 3 SERVICE STATIONS.
THE GOLF COURSE WAS REALLY GREAT. MY GRANDFATHER JOHNS MADE A HOLE
IN ONE AT THE COURSE.
MY MOTHER KNOWN BETTER AS BILLYE O'NEAL AND MY AUNT ELLEN STAFFA
WORKED FOR THE COMPANY ALSO. YOU SAID WE DID NOT GO ANY WHERE WELL
WHEN THE TOWN WAS FIRST BUILT I GUESS SO. BUT WE WENT TO HOUSTON
ALL THE TIME, AND TO WHARTON ALSO. AFTER WAR WWII IT SEEMS THAT
PEOPLE GOT OUT MORE AND WE DID A LOT MORE. THERE ARE A LOT MORE
I COULD SAY BUT THIS IS ENOUGH FOR NOW. AND I HOPE YOU DO READ IT.
IN OUR FAMILY THERE IS ONLY MY COUSIN GENE STAFFA, JR AND MY SELF
BONNIE MARIE ONEAL BUCEK LEFT.
I THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO SAY WHILE MY FATHER NEVER HAD A BOY,
HE WAS BIG INTO BOY SCOUTS. THE BOY SCOUTS FROM NEWGULF IN THE 50'S
WENT TO WASHINGTON, DC TO THE JAMBOREE. THAT TO ME WAS IMPORTANT.
MY MOTHER WAS BIG IN THE GIRL SCOUTS. THANK YOU - BONNIE ONEAL BUCEK,
COLLEGE STATION, December 20, 2006
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history
and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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