At the height of the oil boom, there were over 1,100 producing wells within the city limits of Kilgore. On part of one downtown block in the early 1930s stood the greatest concentration of oil derricks in the world — an area known as the “World’s Richest Acre.”
Kilgore didn’t come from nothing. It exploded from one of the most dramatic economic events in American history. That boom spirit — audacious, prosperous, larger than life — is baked into the DNA of this town. And now a man who traveled six continents learning the world’s greatest wines has come back to plant a flag in the middle of it.
“The town that struck black gold now pours liquid gold.” says Britt
Chapter Two
The Town That Struck Gold
Kilgore’s story is not a quiet one. In late 1930, a well blew in and transformed a sleepy railroad town into one of the most famous boomtowns in American history. At the height of the oil rush, more than 1,100 producing wells operated within the city limits. One downtown block — the World’s Richest Acre — held the greatest concentration of oil derricks on the planet. That boom built Kilgore College, funded civic institutions, and created generational wealth that still runs through the veins of East Texas. The town that struck black gold now pours a different kind of liquid gold. The boom spirit lives on — with considerably better wine concentrated under one roof.
