Longview in Gregg County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Big Inch Pipeline
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 17, 2015
1. Big Inch Pipeline Marker
Before the United States entry into World War II following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, ninety-five percent of the crude oil delivered to East Coast refineries was transported by tanker ships. Ninety percent of that oil originated from Texas oil fields.
Beginning in February 1942, many U.S. oil tankers en route from the Gulf of Mexico to the East Coast were sunk by German submarines. Recognizing the need to transport oil under safer circumstances, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes developed a plan for massive overland oil pipeline. Under the auspices of the War Emergency Pipelines, Inc., construction began on the largest pipeline in history up to that time. Measuring twenty-four inches in diameter, the Big Inch pipeline extended from Longview to Norris City, Illinois, and eventually to refineries in the East.
The Big Inch pipeline's impact on the war effort was tremendous, enabling the safe and timely transport of oil products vital to the Allies. During the height of wartime service, over 300,000 barrels of oil were delivered each day over the 1,476-mile line. When the war ended the Big Inch continued in service after conversion to a natural gas pipeline.
Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 9934.)
Topics. This historical
this page online
Location. 32° 27.273′ N, 94° 42.98′ W. Marker is in Longview, Texas, in Gregg County. It is on South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard 0.1 miles north of Pittman Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3116 South Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Longview TX 75602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Red Oak Missionary Baptist Church (approx. Ό mile away); Saint Mark C.M.E. Church (approx. half a mile away); Harmon General Hospital Chapel (approx. one mile away); Robert Gilmour LeTourneau (approx. 1.1 miles away); Harmon General Hospital (approx. 1.1 miles away); Homestead Site (approx. 1.2 miles away); Finch Family Home (approx. 2.6 miles away); Jerusalem Baptist Church (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Longview.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Big Inch pipeline. (Submitted on September 25, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 17, 2015
2. Big Inch Pipeline area.
Public Domain, September 30, 1942
3. Big Inch pipeline being laid, 1942
Photo: Vachon, John, 1914-1975, - http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/owi2001011912/pp/
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 17, 2015
4. The view north on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 17, 2015
5. Looking south towards Pittman Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 25, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,836 times since then and 133 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 25, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
