Marker Inscription
This bungalow style residence was constructed in 1920 for Lou Della (Thompson) Crim (b. 1868), on the former site of the Hearne Hotel. The farm she owned at Laird Hill (4 mi. S) was part of an oil exploration project headed by her son Malcolm, later the first Kilgore mayor, and local financier Ed Bateman. Her property gained national attention on Dec. 28, 1930, when the Bateman-Crim Wildcat Well No. 1, the discovery well for this area of the significant East Texas oil field, blew in there. Area Rangers, including the celebrated Capt. M. T. (Lone Wolf) Gonzaullas, were housed here.
About this site
Crim, Lou Della is a historical marker in Kilgore, Gregg County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 81 historical markers documented in Gregg County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 124 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 32.3884, -94.8769 near Kilgore. The nearest cataloged historic site is Kilgore I&GN-Missouri Pacific Railroad Station (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include World's Richest Acre, Kilgore National Bank Building, and Alexander Institute.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5183009940. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
