Humble Oil & Refining Company

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Humble Oil and Refining Company — and it's one worth slowing down for. It starts with a man named Ross S. Sterling and a decision he made in 1909, when he invested in the Humble oil field north of Houston.

Two years later, Sterling didn't go it alone — he brought in five partners and formed the Humble Oil Company. Those five were Walter W. Fondren, Charles B.

Goddard, William Stamps Farlish, Robert Lee Blaffer, and Harry Carothers Wiess. Five names worth saying out loud, because between them they were building something that would outlast all of them. And in 1914, Sterling's brother Frank came aboard as a company director — family money, family trust, family enterprise.

Now, 1917 is when things got official. The company obtained a state charter, and the name became Humble Oil and Refining Company. But a charter and a refinery are two different things, and building that refinery required money — serious money.

So Humble sold fifty percent of its company stock to Standard Oil of New Jersey. Half the company, in exchange for what they needed to build. And build they did.

On May 11, 1920, the first oil was pumped into a still at that new refinery. That's the kind of date people remember, the day the machine first breathes. As the company expanded and took on more workers, something quietly remarkable happened — a town grew up around the refinery.

Humble wasn't just producing oil; it was producing a community. The company even offered low-interest home loans to its employees, so the people running the operation could put down roots right there beside it. By the 1930s, research was underway at the Baytown refinery.

And when World War II came calling, that research paid off — vital products for the U.S. war effort were being produced right there. The refinery wasn't just a business anymore; it was part of the national machinery. The post-war years brought more expansion, and then in 1959 came the merger — Humble folded into Standard Oil of New Jersey completely.

The Humble name held on for a while after that, all the way until 1972, when Standard Oil Company of New Jersey became known as Exxon Corporation. From a field investment in 1909 to a name that reshaped American energy — the Humble name carried a long way before it finally gave way to something bigger. That's Texas oil for you: start small, partner smart, and don't be surprised when the whole world takes notice.

What the marker says

Ross S. Sterling entered the oil business in 1909, when he invested in the Humble oil file north of Houston. Two years later he formed the Humble Oil Company with five partners: Walter W. Fondren, Charles B. Goddard, William Stamps Farlish, Robert Lee Blaffer, and Harry Carothers Wiess. Sterling's brother, Frank, became a company director in 1914. In 1917 the company obtained a state charter under the name Humble Oil & Refining Company. In order to finance the building of a refinery, fifty percent of the company stock was sold to Standard Oil of New Jersey. The first oil was pumped into a still at the new refinery on May 11, 1920. As the company expanded and employed more people, a town grew up around the refinery. The company provided low-interest home loans to its employees. By the 1930s research was being conducted at the Baytown refinery, resulting in the production of vital products for the U. S. war effort during World War II. The post-war years saw additional expansion at the refinery, and the company was merged with Standard Oil of New Jersey in 1959. The Humble name was used until 1972, when Standard Oil Company (NJ) became known as Exxon Corporation.