What was built
- Established or development period
- 1901–1903
- Peak period
- 1902–1903
- Who built the community
- Black oilfield and teamster labor drawn to the Texas oil boom after Spindletop.
- Black population
- A Black labor population in the boomtown; precise figures not yet documented.
- Businesses
- Oilfield labor, hauling and service work.
- Financial institutions
- Not yet documented
- Churches
- Not yet documented
- Schools
- Not yet documented
- Hospitals
- Not yet documented
- Newspapers
- Not yet documented
- Entertainment & cultural institutions
- Not yet documented
- Other community institutions
- Not yet documented
- Black land & property ownership
- Largely renters and camp residents; ownership not yet documented.
- Economic significance
- Black labor in the early Texas oil boom.
What happened
- What happened?
- In 1903, white residents and workers issued warnings and used violence to drive Black residents out of Sour Lake during the oil boom. The town excluded Black residents afterward.
- Trigger or precipitating event
- Boomtown labor conflict and accusations against Black workers; the specific precipitating incident is not fully documented.
- Underlying historical context
- Racial exclusion in East Texas oil boomtowns and competition over the highest-paying labor.
- Method of destruction / displacement
- Expulsion · Threats and Intimidation · Forced Departure
- Date or period of destruction
- 1903
- Confirmed / documented deaths
- Not documented.
- Estimated deaths
- Not yet documented
- People displaced
- The town's Black labor population.
- Homes destroyed
- Not yet documented
- Businesses destroyed
- Not yet documented
- Acres or property lost
- Not yet documented.
Afterward
- What happened to the land?
- Black residence in the town ended.
- Was compensation paid?
- None.
- Was the community rebuilt?
- No
- What was rebuilt?
- Not yet documented
- Destroyed or displaced again?
- Not yet documented
- Second displacement date
- Not yet documented
- Second displacement cause
- Not yet documented
- What exists there today?
- A small Hardin County city.
- Descendant, reparation & restoration efforts
- Not yet documented.
- Historical significance
- An example of Black workers being expelled from the most lucrative labor market of the era.
Sources
- Book or scholarly workFind
James W. Loewen, Sundown Towns (New Press, 2005)
- Book or scholarly workFind
Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas
- Primary recordFind
Library of Congress, Chronicling America: 1903 Texas newspapers
"Find" opens a focused search for legacy references that do not have a stable link; "Open" goes directly to the source.
Last verified: 2026-09-20. This is a living historical collection. Additional communities and documentation will be added as research and verification continue.