The Humble Gas Plant was opened in 1942. The plant was put into full operation
within a year and served as a cycling plant, a process of obtaining the maximum
recovery of liquid products while avoiding flaring and waste of residue gas.
The plant was located just west of the city of Katy, near the intersection of
FM 2855 and Morton Road.
The local importance of the Katy plant cannot be overestimated. It brought many
new families to the area and more than doubled the population of Katy in just
one year. It made many landholders very wealthy and financed early development
of the Katy Independent School District. The Katy field was of extreme
importance globally, too. Aviation fuel for World War II allied forces was
produced with products from right here in Katy.
At its peak, the Katy Gas Plant produced 13,000 barrels of product each day. For
several decades the plant thrived as an important part of the community, but
also as a sort of early-day master-planned community. There was an entire
community of housing, a community center, dining facility and more. In the
early 1960s the housing was removed. Many of the homes were moved into the city
of Katy and are still there today.
Over time, production was reduced until the plant finally closed in 2002. It is
being disassembled and relocated to another facility south of the border, but
miles of pipeline will remain snaked across the Katy area. One of the buildings
from the plant, the old Mess Hall, is now located at Katy Heritage Park. The
Katy Heritage Society is raising funds and collecting memorabilia now to open
it as a museum. The group hopes to pay tribute to this often overlooked facet
of local history and create a place for the community to gather for special
events.
