industry. The boom at Spindletop was short lived. Overproduction depleted the oil and ruined many wells. By 1903, the field had begun to decline and within 10 years Spindletop Hill was virtually a ghost town. In 1926, Spindletop boomed again when new technology led to the discovery of oil on the flanks of the salt dome through deeper drilling. Better conservation methods prolonged Spindletop’s second life and the little Gladys City community remained active until the site was cleared during sulfur mining activities in the 1950s. The Gladys City Oil Company still exists and continues its involvement at Spindletop today. The Lucas Gusher marked the beginning of a new age for the world – the Petroleum Age. Although Pennsylvania was the location of the first commercial oil well and Russia could claim the first gushers, the vast quantities of oil discovered at Spindletop first made possible the use of oil as an inexpensive, lightweight and efficient fuel to propel the world into the 20th Century. History of the Museum The reconstruction of Gladys City was a Bicentennial project of the Lucas Gusher Monument Commission. Lamar University dedicated the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum on January 10, 1976, the 75th anniversary of the Lucas Gusher. Gladys City was given to the State of Texas and Lamar University for continued care and development as an educational resource. The buildings in Gladys City are all patterned after buildings that were at Spindletop in the early 1900s oil boom. Many of the artifacts used to furnish the exhibits are from the time of the boom. Commemorating the discovery of oil at Spindletop Hill and dedicated January 10, 1951, the Lucas Gusher Monument is a 58-foot pink Texas granite obelisk erected by the Lucas Gusher Monument Association. The monument was originally placed at the site of the Lucas Gusher, approximately three-fourths of a mile south of the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum. It was moved to the Gladys City site in 1978 due to soil subsidence and accessibility. The monument and the entire Spindletop field have been designated a National Historic Landmark by the federal government. On January 10, 2001, former president George H.W. Bush and approximately 20,000 attendees from around the nation participated in the centennial celebration of the Lucas Gusher at the museum. Country music artist Tracy Byrd, a Beaumont resident, wrote and performed an original song about the history of Spindletop for the event.