The first oil well in Gilbertown, Alabama, was drilled in 1944 by the Humble Oil Company. The well was named the Gilbertown No. 1 and it produced approximately 10 barrels of oil per day. This discovery marked the beginning of the oil industry in Alabama.
On January 2, 1944, the State of Alabama granted Hunt Oil Company a permit to drill the A. R. Jackson Well No. 1 at Gilbertown, AL. Hunt Oil Company was owned by the famous oil man, H. L. Hunt of Dallas, Texas. The drilling commenced on January 10, 1944, and oil was struck approximately one month later at 2580 feet in fractured Selma chalk. The discovery of this well led to the creation of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama in 1945, and to the development and growth of the petroleum industry in Alabama.
This oil well was about two miles southwest of downtown Gilbertown, Alabama on the Paragon Road. The GPS coordinates of this well are 31.869273, -88.351424.
The only thing present at the site today is the concrete foundation of the oil well and a Historic Marker. There is an old Hunt oil rig at the Town Park in downtown Gilbertown that is similar to the one that struck oil.
