Historical Marker
The Wortham Oil Boom
Historical marker location:
Wortham, Texas
( on sh 14 near the intersection of Main and SH 14)
Marker installed: 1972
The city of Wortham rejected a well drilled by C. L. Witherspoon in 1912 when it produced gas, not water. However, oil and gas wells in 1919-23 gave prosperity to neighbors north and south, and petroleum exploration began here.
Discovery well for the Wortham Field, Roy Simmons No. 1 (1 mi. S), came in as a gusher on Nov. 27, 1924. Within three weeks over 300 drilling rigs were in the field.
3,509,768 barrels of oil were produced in Jan. 1925; total for the year was 16,838,150 barrels.
Wasteful drilling slowed yield to 3,000 barrels a day by Sept. 1927, and the boom was concluded.