East Texas Utopia: Remembering the New London School Explosion 9/18/2013
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| Photo: Ellie Goldberg, 2007
London Museum & Tea Room
690 S Main Street
New London, TX 75682
(903) 895-4602
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It was March 18, 1937, and it was one of the most
tragic days in Texas history, but it brought forth a law that would save
countless lives in its wake.
The explosion that day at the New London
Junior-Senior High School could be heard for miles — ripping down walls,
smashing cars and killing around 300 unsuspecting students, teachers and
visitors.
At the height of the East Texas oil boom, how
could something like this happen at one of the richest rural school districts
in the country? I set out to find some answers by visiting the place where it
all began — at the self-proclaimed home of the original Friday Night Lights —
New London.
The town is small — home to less than 1,000
residents — but the resilience of the locals is evident, especially inside the
museum that pays tribute to the school and the victims in the aftermath of one
of the biggest school disasters in the country....
