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"Out of place
mail box"
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
By Paul Latour
History in a Pecan Shell
Moonshine
Hill began as a result of an oil boom and was located 2 miles east of Humble
in northeastern Harris County off of FM 1960. Gas seepage were first noticed in
1887 by James Slaughter, who, in cooperation with S.A. Hart, unsuccessfully drilled
for the commodity. The Moonshine Hill Road is supposedly the oldest paved road
in Texas.
In 1903 the Houstonian Charles F. Barrett took a lease at Moonshine Hill which
is now part of Farm Road 1960. In 1904 oil was discovered, and led to the town's
growth, and equally, after a total of 3 oil booms and no more prospects, led to
its demise.
Interestingly however, at one point, Moonshine Hill's population
was bigger than neighboring Humble, culminating
at approximately 10,000 people. In its heyday at the beginning of the twentieth
century, Moonshine Hill had 6 to 8 saloons, 3 grocery stores, a dance hall, a
meat market, a drugstore, a school, and a union church. The drop in population
is easily apparent in comparing the 1916 topographic map of the town to the 1995
map. |
 |
|
Moonshine Hill - 1916 Topography
Map |
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Moonshine Hill - 1955 Topography
Map |
"During
World War I elements of the 19th
Inf from Fort Sam Houston were stationed at Moonshine Hill. A reminder of WWI
exists today in the name of Belleau Woods Drive." This is a reference to the Battle
of Belleau Wood in 1918 during World
War I, in which a wooded area on the Metz-Paris road, known as the "Bois de
Belleau" i.e. Belleau Woods was recaptured by American forces from the Germans.
Sources:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/belleau.htm
http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasGulfCoastTowns/Humble-Texas.htm
References: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrmnl
See Moonshine
Hill Historical Marker
The Flood of October
1994
More damage was done to the town of Moonshine Hill and other areas
surrounding the San Jacinto River in the Flood of October 1994. According to the
Houston Chronicle, the larger Houston
area suffered over 15,000 damaged homes, over 3,000 destroyed homes and 22 deaths.
This is no surprise, as 29 inches of rain fell over the course of 3 days in Harris
County. Many homes along the river were simply washed away, while others were
later scrapped due to the amount of water and mold damage.
Sources:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-073-94/pdf/FS-94-073.pdf
http://www.wxresearch.com/almanac/houflood.html
Moonshine Hill
Today |
 |
Saloon
Photo courtesy
Paul Latour, 2011 |
Moonshine Hill
TodayMoonshine
Hill today is but a reminder of what was once there. A few homes are strewn about
the streets that are still accessible, however many of the homes that are lived
in are littered with "No Trespassing" signs and/or security video cameras. A few
of the homes appear to have burned down. Though unproven, it is possible that
some of the homes are even tenanted by squatters. There are many signs that this
area is old: old shacks barely standing, antiquated or out of place fire hydrants,
old looking or out of place mail boxes, gravel and dirt roads, and a bit of a
feeling of lawlessness. Trash is dumped in places that truly ruin the beauty and
mystery of the old town. Also, there are metal scrappers roaming the area like
a vulture circling a carcass overhead, and people fishing in areas that were once
scenic and serene, but now are filled with trash.
© Paul Latour
July
9, 2011 |
Old Oil Well
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
"Out of place fire hydrant"
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
Abandoned Building
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
Falling Apart Structure
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
Old Barn
Photo courtesy
Paul Latour, 2011 |
Burned Building
Photo
courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
|
Photo courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
Moonshine Hill Historical Marker
Location 2735 FM 1960 E
Photo courtesy Paul Latour, 2011 |
MOONSHINE HILLEarly
reports of natural gas seepages in this area were not uncommon in the late 19th
century. James Slaughter noticed such natural occurences near the San Jacinto
River in 1887. Several years later, with S. A. Hart, he set up a drilling operation
in the area, but it proved unsuccessful. Charles Barrett, a former Huston merchant,
also drilled wells here, but found the results limited. In 1904, the Higgins Oil
Company brought in a major gas well and the following year, the first successful
oil well was drilled.
This area, known as the Moonshine Hill section of
the great Humble oil field, became the site of a boom town. Within months of the
1905 discovery, the population of the Moonshine Hill settlement increased to 10,000.
Early operations associated with the site included the Moonshine Oil Company of
Walter Sharp, Ed Prather, and Howard R. Hughes. Although tents comprised most
of the early structures, Moonshine Hill eventually included a church, school,
postal station, stores, hotels, and saloons.
Despite three separate boom
eras, the last occurring in 1929, Moonshine Hill declined as a community. Its
brief existence, however, had a dramatic impact on the economic development of
Humble
and Houston.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 |
Moonshine
Hill, Texas Area Hotels
Humble
Hotels | Houston Hotels
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
us. | |
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