Lee Wilder Thomas facts for kids

Lee Wilder Thomas, also known as Rev. L.W. Thomas (born August 15, 1873 – died April 11, 1953), was an important African-American businessman. He made a lot of money in the oil industry. L.W. Thomas was one of the fortunate landowners in the Mexia, Texas, oil field.

In the early 1930s, he teamed up with Jake Simmons, Jr.. Simmons was another wealthy African-American who worked with oil. Together, they created Simmons Royalty Co.. This company became one of the top African-American oil and mineral rights companies in Oklahoma.

Early Life and Education

L.W. Thomas was born in either Springfield or Tehuacana, both in Limestone County, Texas. He was the only child of Boss Thomas and Bettie Arbuckle. His father, Boss Thomas, moved to Texas from Alabama.

When he was a young boy, L.W. attended the Sardis Primitive Baptist Church in Mexia. There, he felt a strong desire to become a preacher. He went to school in Mexia for his early education. Later, he went to and graduated from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.

After finishing college, L.W. married Clemmie Estella Ross in 1895. They had thirteen children together.

Oil Business Success

In 1912, a large amount of natural gas was found by the Mexia Gas and Oil Company. Then, in 1920, oil was discovered. L.W. Thomas was one of the lucky landowners in the 1920 Mexia oil discovery. He had ten oil wells on his property that were producing oil.

The discovery of oil brought a lot of excitement to the area. It also led to some problems like robberies and illegal sales. Because of this, the governor had to send in the military in 1922 to help keep order. But the oil boom kept going strong. By the end of 1922, the oil fields were producing almost 34.8 million barrels of oil each year.

Building a Community in Oklahoma

L.W. Thomas moved to Oklahoma with a big dream. He wanted to build a special community for African-Americans called Summit. This town was located about 8 miles southwest of Muskogee.

He invested over $100,000 in land in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. He divided the land into smaller lots for homes and farms. He planned to sell these lots to African-Americans, especially those from Texas.

He had already built a general store and an office for selling real estate. A cotton gin was also being built quickly for the fall harvest. He even built a large house for himself on a nearby hill. He saved the land next to his house for other nice homes.

Besides growing cotton and peanuts, he encouraged people to grow vegetables. These vegetables could be sold in the nearby cities of Muskogee and Tulsa. By 1932, L.W. Thomas was the president of the Jake Simmons, Jr., Simmons Royalty Co.

St. Thomas Primitive Baptist Church

The St. Thomas Primitive Baptist Church is a historic church building in Summit. Rev. L.W. Thomas built it in 1922. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of its importance.