The Second Navarro County Oil Boom

Jane Dunn Taylor wrote an excellent account of the oil industry in Navarro County, providing excellent insights into the economic and social impact the industry had not only in this area but in Texas and the United States. The first commercial oil field in Texas was developed when oil was accidentally discovered with the city limits of Corsicana only blocks from the business district in 1894. By the end of the decade there were 500 wells within the city, producing 800,000 barrels of oil per year.

The real boom for Navarro County came in 1923 with the development of the Powell field. Located 10 miles east of Corsicana, the community of Powell was organized in the 1880s with the extension of the Cotton Belt Railroad, and named for a pioneer settler in the area. Powell was a typical cotton-based town until an operation called the Corsicana Deep Well Company announced plans to drill for oil in the Powell area. Spurred by discoveries in Mexia and Wortham, company geologists were convinced that significant oil deposits lay in eastern Navarro County as well.

Dr. Tommy Stringer is executive director of the Navarro College Foundation.

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Marriott's sister gets 18 years in mortgage fraud plea

May 18, 2009 Corsicana Daily Sun

KAUFMAN — A North Texas woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison Monday for her involvement in a complex mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded the federal government.

Karen Hayes, 58, of Kemp, pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity and falsifying statements to obtain property or credit. Hayes was taken into custody at the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office and will be transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates the state prison system.

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