World's Richest Acre, Kilgore

About World's Richest Acre

The World's Richest Acre is a downtown park in Kilgore that preserves the region's oil industry heritage through restored derricks and gathering spaces. Visitors walk among thirteen oil derricks displayed across the one-half city block adjacent to the railroad depot, including one with a functional pumping unit. The park features a concrete stage on its eastern corner, more than five hundred engraved bricks lining the brick sidewalks, and over one hundred twenty-five granite pavers surrounding a central brick planter. The site hosts cultural performances including plays and concerts by Kilgore High School and Kilgore College, along with noon concerts and brown bag lunches for downtown gatherings. The park was developed beginning in 1996 to transform what was once the focal point of the oil boom into a community gathering place, with plans for additional landscaping and fixtures.