Historical Marker

Old Diboll Library

Historical marker location:
116 N. First St., Diboll, Texas
( 116 N. First St., at railroad tracks)
Marker installed: 1990

Built about 1908 by T. L. L. Temple for his Southern Pine Lumber Company employees, this building served for many years as a community library and recreation hall. While the lower floor included a reading room and recreational facilities, the upper floor contained living quarters used at various times by the Temple family, single male employees, and schoolteachers. The building was used as a Red Cross sewing room during World War I and as a food distribution point for needy families during the Depression. It later served as a residence and office. (1990).

The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.