Pierce Junction

Pierce Junction was at the intersection of the Southern Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads seven miles south of central Houston, but within the Houston city limits, in southern Harris County. The community was named in 1859 for its location at the intersection of what was then the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado and the Houston Tap railroads. Pierce Junction had a post office from 1876 to 1878. Ed Taylor found gas in his water well, and drilling that followed resulted in the discovery of oil in 1906. A much more extensive strike was made in 1921, and the Pierce Junction oilfield yielded 88,740,836 barrels through 1984. In 1939 the community had forty inhabitants and two businesses. By the 1960s Pierce Junction lay entirely within the city limits of Houston.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.