New London School Explosion
New London, Rusk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
New London School Explosion on March 18, 1937, a massive explosion destroyed the New London Junior-Senior High School, instantly killing an estimated 296 students and teachers. The subsequent deaths of victims from injuries sustained that day brought the final death count to 311. The explosion was blamed on a natural gas leak beneath the school building. Within weeks of the disaster the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring an odor to be added to natural gas, which previously was odorless and therefore undetectable. This memorial to victims of the explosion was erected in 1939.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the afternoon of March 18, 1937, natural gas that had accumulated undetected beneath the New London Junior-Senior High School ignited, leveling the building and killing hundreds of students and teachers in one of the deadliest school disasters in American history. The final toll reached 311. Because the gas was odorless, no one had smelled the danger—prompting the Texas Legislature within weeks to mandate that a warning odor be added to natural gas.
Why it matters
The tragedy gave rise to the now-universal practice of odorizing natural gas so leaks can be smelled, a safety reform born of Texas grief that has saved countless lives nationwide.
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Related events
- · New London School Explosion of 1937
Themes & tags
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