The White Elephant and the richest acre in the world....

A train was just approaching the depot.

 I wanted to share with you all one of mine and my friend Betty's favorite thrift store.....it is located in this wonderful old Depot Station in Kilgore... just about 16 miles from our little town of Arp. We have to travel at least seven or more miles to even to buy our groceries! Our town only has a couple of convenient stores and the bare necessities such as a Post Office,fire department,City Hall,etc...Well,maybe you get the picture...when I say small...I mean small...smile. This shop is called the The White Elephant and is ran by the sweetest little ladies...I kinda like going...just to visit with them :) They are only open one day a week... Tuesday.
I love the atmosphere of the downtown area of this little city....it is quite like taking a step back in time.

Isn't it charming?

Loading dock.

 During the Oil Boom this was known as the richest acre in the world.

The East Texas oilfield was discovered in 1930, and over the next couple years the city of Kilgore transformed from a sleepy rural village into a boomtown. At one point, there were approximately 1,200 oil wells inside the city - one at nearly every street corner.

And the densest population of those wells - the tighest concentration of oil wells in the world at that time - was in a half-block area of downtown that came to be known as the "World's Richest Acre."

The World's Richest Acre Park displays one original oil derrick and 30 more restored derricks that are the remnants of Kilgore's boomtown birth (all but one of the derricks in town was dismantled during the 1960s). Historical markers throughout the park tell the stories.

The World's Richest Acre Park is open yearround and is free to all. At Christmastime, the tops of the derricks within the park are decorated with lights.    This information found here

Across from the depot.

Downtown Kilgore after dark.

Looks like a scene right out of "It's a Wonderful Life" to me.

If you are ever traveling through Texas and come close to Kilgore take a drive through the Downtown area and if its on a Tuesday stop in the White Elephant and tell the little ladies Shelley sent ya.....smile.