Jefferson County.
Pattillo Higgins, the site's promoter, named it after Gladys Bingham, a young resident of Beaumont. In 1892 Higgins unveiled ambitious plans for an industrial and residential complex that was to be part of the Gladys City Oil, Gas, and Manufacturing Company, south of Beaumont. Although he already had a rough plat outline, Higgins's dream of establishing a major manufacturing center at Gladys City never came to fruition.