Corsicana Oil Field Discovery Well
Why it's listed
In spring 1894, drillers hired by the Corsicana Water Development Company began a water well on South 12th Street. On June 9 they struck oil sand at 1,035 feet, an unwelcome result that had to be cased off to protect the artesian water found later at 2,470 feet. Oil kept seeping around the casing, and local speculators began leasing land nearby. Further wells soon followed, derricks spread across eastern Corsicana, and a refinery began operating in December 1896. The field also drew the Baker brothers, who perfected the rotary rig in Corsicana; an improved version went on the market in 1901. The nomination argues that this equipment made later development of Spindletop possible. Today the discovery well is a 6-inch pipe rising 3 feet from the ground, capped and surrounded by brick within Petroleum Industry Park. The nominated area is about a quarter acre, and the site is listed as the first discovery of oil in a field that launched Texas oil development.
Significance in brief: The well is the site of the first discovery of oil in the Corsicana Oil Field, which the nomination says gave oil development in Texas its impetus. The field led to a refinery, the perfecting of the rotary drilling rig, and new markets for oil. It was the first large field west of the Mississippi River and supplied technology used at later fields such as Spindletop.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001462, listed August 22, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 400 block S. 12th St., Corsicana |
|---|---|
| County | Navarro County |
| Listed | August 22, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001462 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1894 |
| Architect / builder | City of Corsicana (drilled by Horace G. Johnson, Elmer H. Akin and Charles Rittersbacher of the American Well and Prospecting Company) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Well preserved in Petroleum Industry Park; the well head is capped and the site is bricked to protect the pipe. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 32.08930, -96.46411 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001462.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000491
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.