Dow Texas Operations Timeline

A lot can happen in 65 years - like a small Dow site in Texas growing from a few chemical plants at the beginning of 1941 to the largest chemical manufacturing complex in North America. The following are some, but not all of the big or important events that occurred each year along the way, allowing Dow Texas Operations to become the site it is today.

1941 - History is made as magnesium is mined from seawater at Dow's Plant A.

1942 - Camp Chemical is built in 31 days. Plant B's magnesium plant begins operating.

1943 - Residents start moving into Lake Jackson.

1944 - Dormitory for women who work for Dow opens in Freeport.

1945 - Site starts producing ethylene oxide and propylene glycol.

1946 - Ethylene chloride and vinyl chloride join the site's product list.

1947 - Construction begins on Chlorine 3 and Light Hydrocarbon 3.

1948 - Salt Dome Operations is started up for brine mining and hydrocarbons storage.

1949 - Dow's first tanker ship, the Marine Chemist, docks in Freeport.

1950 - Site ammonia plant is completed.

1951 - Chlorine 4, Light Hydrocarbon 4, Glycol B, Polyglycols and Latex begin operations.

1952 - First shipment of styrene is exported from Freeport. Construction begins on W.R. Veazey Research Center.

1953 - Construction of the Brazoria Reservoir is finished.

1954 - Expansion of the Texas Division's ammonia plant is completed.

1955 - Polyethylene, glycerine and soda ash plants are completed.

1956 - Dow airport in Lake Jackson opens.

1957 - Site's large administration building opens (later named A.P. Beutel Building). Light Hydrocarbon 5 begins operations.

1958 - Epoxy resins and Power 4 plants are built.

1959 - Construction begins on Dow-Badische plant.

1960 - Production capacity is increased for magnesium, polyethylene and purified caustic.

1961 - Hurricane Carla hits the Brazosport area. Earl Barnes named general manager of Dow's Texas Division. The Dow hospital becomes the Brazosport community hospital.

1962 - Production capacity increased for chlorine, epoxy resins and polyethylene.

1963 - Epoxy-Novalac plant begins operations.

1964 - Production capacity increased for chlorine, ethylene and vinyl chloride.

1965 - Ethyleneamine plant completed. Seven Dow technology centers open in Texas.

1966 - Ethylene oxide plant is completed.

1967 - The Oyster Creek Division begins operations. J.M. "Levi" Leathers named general manager of Dow's Texas Division.

1968 - Black skimmers make Plant A their home. David Rooke named general manager of Dow's Texas Division.

1969 - Dow's Epoxy-Novolac, produced in Freeport, is used in Apollo 11's heat shield.

1970 - The world's largest and fastest chemical tanker, the new Marine Chemist, is launched from Freeport.

1971 - World's largest phenol plant begins operations at Oyster Creek.

1972 - The longest strike in the site's history ends 12 weeks after it began.

1973 - Everett Jacob named general manager of Dow's Texas Division. Light Hydrocarbon 7 starts up.

1974 - Dow Plantation House is built in Lake Jackson.

1975 - Texas Division employees set a record by working 6,000,000 consecutive hours with no days away from work case.

1976 - Dow announces the startup of a t-amyl alcohol plant in Freeport.

1977 - Don Rikard named general manager of Dow's Texas Division.

1978 - H.H. "Mac" McClure named general manager of Dow's Texas Division. Dow sells its shares of Dow-Badische to BASF.

1979 - Tropical Storm Claudette dumps 27.2 inches of rain on the site and the Brazosport area.

1980 - Crude Oil Processing Plant at Oyster Creek starts up.

1981 - Dow offers 25-acre site and additional funding for the new Brazosport Community Hospital.

1982 - Dow announces an ethylene acrylic acid plant will be built in Freeport.

1983 - Hurricane Alicia hits the Brazosport area.

1984 - Larry Wright named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

1985 - Dow and other petrochemical companies start Brazosport Industrial CAER.

1986 - Dow begins Household Hazardous Waste Day for local residents.

1987 - Chlor-Alkali's Demonstration Membrane Cell Plant begins production.

1988 - The Texas Kiln, which incinerates wastes from the site's plants, begins operating.

1989 - Severe freeze hits the Brazosport area costing the site $35 million.

1990 - Bob Gallant named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

1991 - Construction begins on the site's $100 million wastewater treatment plant. Dow's Community Advisory Panel (CAP) begins meeting.

1992 - Ed Rainwater named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

1993 - INSITE™ technology-based resins begin to be produced.

1994 - Closing of on-site waste management area.

1995 - John Barksdale named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

1996 - Capacity of propylene oxide plant is increased by 250 million pounds.

1997 - The Dow Chemical Company celebrates its 100th anniversary.

1998 - Christian Ertle' named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations. Closing of Plant A's magnesium facility.

1999 - Tommy Block named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

2000 - Dow pledges $2.5 million to Brazosport College for its Center for Business/Industry Training.

2001 - Dow House opens at Brazos Mall.

2002 - Construction begins on PMDI plant.

2003 - Site's first strike in more than 20 years ends after a week.

2004 - Bob Walker named Vice President of Dow Texas Operations.

2005 - Dow Texas Operations is shut down in preparation for Hurricane Rita.