Gloria Arellano, owner of Tacos Y Fruta, serves pork tacos at Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum, Feb. 8. Arellano sells lunches at the museum, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., through Feb. 29. UP photo by Meredith Winkler
More than 120 years after the Lucas Gusher hit on Spindletop Hill, the museum that tells its story is looking to expand opportunities for visitors to engage with history.
Jeanna Summy, the new director of Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum, wants students and the community to use the museum as a resource for events.
“The possibilities are endless,” she said. “We want to let not only the students know that they can use this space for future events, but also we want to get the word out there to the community — Beaumont, Southeast Texas — that we've space for them.”
Summy said the museum is a perfect location for meetings, lectures and concerts, as well as evening outdoor activities.
The museum can be leased entirely or in sections, Summy said, including the Caroline Room — which is for meetings, speakers, and presentations — the Saloon and Hamill Square.
“We have a fire pit outside that's brand new,” Summy said. “So, we can host outdoor evening events. In the past we've had musicians come out and play (in the Saloon).”
Hamill Square stage features electric hookups so concerts can be held there.
“You could set up tables, a dance floor — the possibilities are endless,” Summy said.
The museum can also offer catering options, Summy said.
The Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum commemorates the discovery of oil at the salt dome in Beaumont on Jan. 10, 1901, which kicked off the oil boom. The museum is a recreation of the town that grew up around the oil strike.
On special occasions and anniversaries, the museum “blows the gusher,” and a plume of water shoots 200 feet in the air.
“We hit oil here in 1901 which started the petroleum industry for our nation,” Summy said. “It is a legacy town, but also, people come to visit, and they want to learn about the history of Spindletop. This is a resource to the students, but it's also a resource to the community. It is important for future generations.”
For more, visit lamar.edu/spindletop-gladys-city.
To reserve spaces, contact program coordinator Danielle Cormier at dcormier11@lamar.edu, or call 409-880-1750. Student organizations can reserve spaces through LU Hub.
