The Port Arthur Refinery

The Port Arthur Refinery (HM8CX)

Location: Leland, TX 77640 Jefferson County
Buy Texas State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 29° 51.55', W 93° 58.198'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 332 views
Inscription
The eruption of the Lucas Gusher at the Spindletop oil field in January 1901 established Texas as a major oil source and signaled the beginning of a significant economic boom to the state. The new town of Port Arthur benefited tremendously from its proximity to the oil field.

In early 1901, a consortium of men from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formed the J.M. Guffey Petroleum Company to finance and develop an industry for the oil from its Spindletop leases. In need of refining facilities and a sales organization, the consortium chartered the Gulf Refining Company on November 10, 1901, and built a refinery at Port Arthur for the purposes of making the crude oil into a usable commodity.

Early products of the refining company included gasoline, kerosene and engine oil. In 1907, assets of the J.M. Guffey Petroleum and Gulf Refining Companies were merged into the Gulf Oil Corporation. At the end of 1910, Port Arthur was the company's lone refinery until a second was built in Fort Worth the following year.

Innovative production, refining and retailing techniques after World War I kept the company on solid economic footing. Expansion continued after World War II, and by 1955, Gulf Oil was the nation's largest producer of ethylene. By 1960, the Port Arthur facility was refining 270,000 barrels of crude oil per day into 600 different products.

Gulf Oil became part of Chevron in 1984. In 1995, Clark Refining took ownership of the Port Arthur plant, and in 2000, Clark's name was changed to Premcor. Upholding an excellent safety record, the Port Arthur refinery has been a significant factor in the city's development as a major petrochemical center.
Details
HM NumberHM8CX
Tags
Year Placed2001
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014 at 1:35pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15R E 406314 N 3303574
Decimal Degrees29.85916667, -93.96996667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 29° 51.55', W 93° 58.198'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds29° 51' 33.00" N, 93° 58' 11.88" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)409
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1792 S 8th St, Leland TX 77640, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?