New London School Explosion

New London School Explosion on March 18, 1937, a massive explosion destroyed the New London Junior-Senior High School, instantly killing an estimated 296 students and teachers. The subsequent deaths of victims from injuries sustained that day brought the final death count to 311. The explosion was blamed on a natural gas leak beneath the school building. Within weeks of the disaster the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring an odor to be added to natural gas, which previously was odorless and therefore undetectable. This memorial to victims of the explosion was erected in 1939.

New London School Explosion is a historical marker in New London, Rusk County, dedicated in 1989. It is one of 72 historical markers documented in Rusk County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 184 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.2389, -94.9439 near New London. The nearest cataloged historic site is London Baptist Church (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Overton City, First Methodist Church of Overton, and Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5401011023. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.