That rolling, hard-driving piano — the boogie-woogie — they'll tell you it was born right here in Marshall. It came up out of the East Texas logging camps, where formerly enslaved men sat down at whatever piano they could find and played. Two of the greats came straight off these streets: Floyd Dixon and Dave Alexander. So it fits that Marshall finally got its own Boogie Woogie Fest — an idea Dale Watson floated and Alan Loudermilk, who runs the restaurant Gnocchio in town, talked him into making real. One September weekend, the lineup runs Dale Watson, Linda Gail Lewis, Wayne Hancock, Scott Biram, Jason D. Williams, and more. It's a party, sure. But it's also Marshall finally taking a bow for something it handed the whole world.

RoadyGoat → · 14.7 mi away

Dale Watson RoadyGoat

Dale Watson's got the pompadour, the truck-driving country, the rockabilly snarl — and after decades in Austin and a stretch in Memphis, he landed in Marshall, East Texas, in twenty twenty. His thirtieth studio album is called "Starvation Box" — that was the name Lead Belly's father used for his son's guitar. And Lead Belly is the through-line here: Watson is helping build a Lead Belly museum right there in Marshall, and he kicked off the town's first Boogie Woogie Fest. The album itself is built around a nineteen fifty-seven twelve-string his wife gave him. One song, "Streets of Gold," came straight from his own father's stories of coal-mining life in Hazard, Kentucky. Thirty albums deep, and the man is still writing his roots into East Texas ground.

RoadyGoat → · 14.7 mi away

History of Jefferson

Two Men, Two Grids, One Riverport RoadyGoat

1841

Jefferson was laid out in the early 1840s by two men who could not agree on a plan. Allen Urquhart, a North Carolina emigrant, took a headright on a bend of Big Cypress Bayou and aligned his streets to the water, running them at right angles to the crooked stream so boats could load easily. Daniel Alley claimed a 586-acre parcel next door, known as Alley's Addition, and squared his streets to the compass instead. Walk downtown today and the two grids still clash at odd angles, a fossil of that founding disagreement. The town was named for Thomas Jefferson. Its real fortune was geography: the bend sat at the head of navigation on the bayou, the westernmost port a steamboat could reach on the Red River system, making Jefferson the leading inland port in Texas. In 1860 it became the seat of the newly created Marion County.

Jefferson, TX RoadyGoat

Once a bustling river port, Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians. It became one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872, with a peak population exceeding 30,000. The town's fortunes changed in 1873 when the Army Corps of Engineers used nitroglycerin to clear the Great Red River Raft, lowering water levels and ending riverboat traffic. Jefferson's population plummeted to just over 3,000 a few years later. The Sterne Fountain, given to the city in 1913, honors Jacob and Ernestine Sterne, prominent citizens who managed the post office and contributed to civic and cultural projects.

Jefferson, TX RoadyGoat

In 1873, the Army Corps of Engineers used nitroglycerin to clear the Great Red River Raft, a log jam that had long blocked the Red River. This event marked a turning point for Jefferson, as it lowered the water levels of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress Bayou, making riverboat traffic to the town commercially unfeasible. The once-thriving river port of Jefferson saw its population drop from over 7,000 at the peak of river traffic to a little over 3,000 a few years later.

RoadyGoat →

Jefferson - The Town That Lost Everything

1840

In the 1870s, Jefferson was the largest and wealthiest city in Texas, a steamboat port rivaling New Orleans. It collapsed when the railroad bypassed it and the river was drained.

Brantley, Hattie Rilla [H.R.]

1941

Hattie Rilla "H.R." Brantley, nurse, member of the United States Army, prisoner of war (POW) during World War II , and longtime women's advocate in the military, was born on April 4, 1916, in Jefferson, Marion County, Texas, to Albert Maxey Brantley (1879-1943) and Minnie Lou Emma (Sewell) Brantley (1883-1974). She grew up on a farm near Jefferson during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression and expressed a desire to see the world outside of her town. Brantley attended Dallas's Baylor School of Nursing from 1933 to 1937. She graduated with honors and joined the Baylor staff to help teach new nursing students and to treat patients in the Dallas area. She remained part of the Baylor staff until 1939, when, in keeping with her youthful desire to see the world, she joined the U. S. Army Nurse Corps. After enlisting she was sent to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Six months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the subsequent U. S. entry into World War II, Brantley, a lieutenant, was assigned to the Philippines. As the war progressed she served in a makeshift hospital in the jungles of the Bataan Peninsula. The conditions were difficult due to mosquito infestation, hot and humid weather, dust storms, and a lack of medical supplies. However, Brantley and the other nurses continued their work to save the lives of the patients despite these conditions. Their efforts earned them the nickname "Angels of Bataan." On April 8, 1942, the nurses stationed in the Bataan Peninsula were ordered to evacuate to Corregidor in Manila Bay, because they received news that the Japanese Imperial Army was set to capture Bataan by April 11. Every nurse made it to Corregidor, and the troops that remained in Bataan surrendered on April 9. After the evacuation, Brantley and the other nurses continued to care for the wounded and sick underground in the Malinta Tunnel on the island of Corregidor. The conditions were even more dangerous and dire, because the island was under constant bombardment by the Japanese Army, and shipments of medical supplies and needed rations were not able to make it to the nurses. On May 6, after weeks of shelling bombardment by the Japanese Army, Corregidor surrendered. With the surrender of Corregidor, Brantley officially became a POW. The nurses had to march to Santo Tomas Internment Camp. The lack of water and food posed a great threat to Brantley and the other prisoners. The Japanese Army did not give out sufficient rations, and the POWs were expected to comb the surrounding area for anything edible. Brantley later recalled, "We never had enough to eat." Their diet often consisted of merely cornmeal gruel, watery coconut milk, horse meat, and fish heads. Brantley and some of the other nurses created a rope ladder and lowered it over the fence to get food from the Filipino people. Brantley kept the rope ladder under her bed and worried that this risky act could result in her execution. Despite these grueling conditions, Brantley continued to tend to the wounded and ill, while encouraging the women to remain hopeful and diligent. She later commented, "We never really thought we weren't going to make it." Amazingly all of the women survived, and Brantley credited her "faith in God and country, and the prayers of my family" for carrying her through. Brantley and her fellow POWs were freed on February 3, 1945, after almost three years of captivity. Her family was uncertain of her condition as the last letter they received from her was dated August 1943 and simply stated, "Well and working every day." Brantley returned home on February 26, 1945, and learned that her father had passed away in August 1943. She returned to a changed home life and nation, one that she was not expecting because she had not received mail or news in almost three years. In July 1945 she married Kenneth Erwin Harmon in Colorado. She met Harmon, a Navy civilian employee, while they were both being held captive at Santo Tomas Internme

Tsha Handbook →

Brooks House

1872

Built 1872 in Victorian style, with long galleries, bay window, 4 gables. Then a hotel, it became famous when guest "Diamond Bessie" Moore was killed west of town at a picnic in 1877. Fellow guest Abe Rothchild, cited for murder, was freed after sensational trial-- later subject of a drama.

Historical Marker →

Culberson, Charles Allen

1861

One of Texas' most forceful leaders; 32 years in office as attorney general, governor, U. S. Senator. Born in Alabama; in childhood moved with parents to Texas. Lived in Jefferson 1861-1887. Was educated Virginia Military Institute, University of Virginia. Began practice of law in Jefferson, 1877, in firm of his father, United States Congressman D. B. Culberson. He moved to Dallas 1887. Won elections as attorney general, 1890 and 1892. In this office recovered for Texas more than 2,000,000 acres of public domain illegally claimed by railroads. He also gave strong support to reforms of Gov. James S. Hogg, notably in antitrust laws, and creation of Railroad Commission. In two terms as governor (1895-1899), was famous for vigorous law enforcement and a strong fiscal policy which reduced state expenses. Although known as "veto governor," he was able to show Legislature and the people the justice of his vetoes. Elected to the United States Senate, 1898; became Senate Minority Leader, 1907, and was considered for the presidency, 1908, by National Democratic Party. Chief Senate service was on Judiciary Committee, of which he was chairman, 1913-1919. Retired in 1922. Died in Washington. Is buried in Fort Worth.

Historical Marker →

Jefferson, TX (Marion County)

1843

Jefferson, the county seat of Marion County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 49, on Big Cypress Creek and Caddo Lake in the south central portion of the county. It was named for Thomas Jefferson when it was founded in the early 1840s by Allen Urquhart and Daniel Alley. In the late 1830s Urquhart, who immigrated to Texas from North Carolina, received a headright on a bend in the creek; he laid out a townsite there around 1842. At about the same time Alley obtained a 586-acre parcel adjacent to Urquhart's survey and laid out additional streets that became known as Alley's Addition. In contrast to most other town planners of the time, who arranged their plans around a central square, Urquhart laid out the town along Big Cypress Creek, with its streets running at right angles to the bayou. Alley's streets, on the other hand, followed the points of the compass. The intersection of the two plans gave the town its distinctive V-shaped layout. As the westernmost outpost for navigation on the Red River, Jefferson quickly developed into an important riverport. The first steamboat, the Llama , reached Jefferson in late 1843 or early 1844. A post office was established in 1846, and the town was incorporated in March 20, 1848, though because of various delays a city charter was not adopted until 1850. In the same year the town adopted the aldermanic form of city government. In 1846 Jefferson became the county seat of Cass County, upon that county's separation from Bowie County, and served as such until Linden became county seat in 1852. A Methodist church was organized in 1844, followed by the Presbyterian church between 1846 and 1850 and the Baptist church in 1855. The first newspaper, the Jefferson Democrat , was printed in 1847, and the following year the Jimplecute , the town's longest-running and most influential paper, made its appearance. During the late 1840s efforts were made to clear Big Cypress Creek for navigation. Within a few years steamboats were regularly making the trip from Shreveport and New Orleans, transporting cotton and other produce downstream and returning with supplies and manufactured goods, including materials and furnishings for many of the early homes. By the late 1840s Jefferson had emerged as the leading commercial and distribution center of Northeast Texas and the state's leading inland port. Among the persistent legends that have grown up around the town was the belief that Jeffersonians had shunned the railroads. While much of the city's wealth during the antebellum and early postbellum years derived from the river trade, city leaders recognized early the importance of rail transportation and made efforts to build a railroad linking the town with Shreveport and Marshall. Construction of a line began in 1860, but only forty-five miles of road was completed by the outbreak of the Civil War . In 1860 Jefferson became county seat of the newly established Marion County. After Abraham Lincoln was elected, Marion County voted unanimously for secession . Jefferson men volunteered for military service in large numbers, and during the Civil War a meat cannery was established there, as were factories for boots and shoes. After the war the town's economy recovered quickly. A fire destroyed practically the entire business section in 1866, but it was rebuilt within a few years. In 1867 Jefferson became the first town in Texas to use natural gas for artificial lighting purposes, and ice was first manufactured on a commercial scale there in 1868. By 1870 Jefferson, with a population of 4,180, was the sixth largest city in Texas. Between 1867 and 1870 trade grew from $3 million to $8 million, and in the late 1860s more than 75,000 bales of cotton were being shipped annually. By 1870 only Galveston surpassed Jefferson in volume of commerce. The town reached its peak in 1872, when a supplementary census reported 7,297 inhabitants. But in 1873 two events occurred that eventually spelled the end of Jef

Tsha Handbook →

Mabry, Hinche Parham Jr.

1861

Hinche Parham Mabry Jr., soldier and jurist, was born at Laurel Hill, Carroll County, Georgia, on October 27, 1829, one of six children of Hinche Parham and Lynnea (Stallings) Mabry. He attended the University of Tennessee and, after moving to Jefferson, Texas, at the age of twenty-one, read law until he was admitted to the bar in 1856. In 1854 he married Sarah Abigail Haywood, and the couple had three children, including Woodford H. Mabry . Mabry became a successful and prosperous lawyer and served terms as a state legislator in the 6th and 8th Legislatures. Though initially opposed to secession , Mabry joined the volunteer expedition of North Texas that seized the federal forts in Indian Territory in May 1861. When Col. Elkanah B. Greer organized the Third Texas Cavalry a month later, Mabry became captain of Company G and quickly established a reputation for audacity, courage, and strict discipline. He fought at the battles of Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge. He was promoted to colonel in July 1862 and became the commander of his regiment. At the battle of Iuka on September 19, 1862, he was severely wounded and captured. Refusing to sign a parole that read "so called Confederate States," he remained a prisoner until 1863 when he was exchanged. He rejoined his regiment in the spring of 1863, held temporary command of Lawrence Sullivan Ross 's Texas Cavalry Brigade from October to December 1863, and then led another brigade composed of a number of under-strength Arkansas and Mississippi units from March 1864 to February 1865. He molded this unpromising material into an effective force. His men captured a federal gunboat on the Yazoo River in April 1864 and gave a good account of themselves in Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry campaigns in northern Mississippi and West Tennessee during the summer and fall. At least one contemporary source indicates that Mabry was commissioned brigadier general in 1865. After his brigade was broken up in February 1865 Mabry was reassigned to duty west of the Mississippi. He signed his parole at Shreveport on June 22, 1865. During Presidential Reconstruction, he served in the Constitutional Convention of 1866 and was elected in June 1866 to preside over Texas's Eighth Judicial District. However, when Congressional Reconstruction began in 1867, Federal military authorities removed him from the bench. He soon became a leader of the Knights of the Rising Sun, a Klan-type organization that opposed Reconstruction, and after the notorious murder of George Washington Smith in Jefferson in 1869, he fled to Canada to avoid prosecution. All the men who murdered Smith escaped significant punishment, and Mabry returned to his law practice in Jefferson. Then, in 1879 he relocated to Fort Worth, where he resided the rest of his life. He died of an accidental pistol wound to the foot on March 21, 1884, in Sherman, Texas, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Jefferson.

Tsha Handbook →

Things to Do in Jefferson

quirky 0.1 mi away

Jay Goulds Curse on Jefferson

When railroad baron Jay Gould rolled into Jefferson in the 1870s he had a simple proposition: let me bring my railroad through town. The city fathers flush…

historical 0.1 mi away

The Great Raft That Built a City

For centuries an 80-mile logjam called the Great Raft choked the Red River so completely that it backed water all the way up into Caddo Lake. That accidental…

historical 3.9 mi away

The Diamond Bessie Murder

On a winter day in 1877 a well-dressed couple crossed the bridge over Cypress Bayou carrying a picnic basket. He was Abraham Rothschild heir to a jewelry…

quirky 13.9 mi away

Caddo Lake

The only natural lake in Texas is also the most haunted-looking -- twenty-five thousand acres of bald cypress swamp draped in Spanish moss straddling the…

historical 0.1 mi away

Last Confederate Powder Magazine in Texas

In 1863 with the Civil War grinding on the Confederacy needed a safe place to store gunpowder and ammunition deep in the Texas interior. They built an ordnance…

quirky 0.2 mi away

Spielberg Fled the Excelsior House

The Excelsior House has been hosting guests since the 1850s and most of them sleep just fine. Steven Spielberg was not one of them. The story goes that the…

spooky 0.2 mi away

The Jefferson Hotel

One of the most haunted hotels in the South. Built in the 1850s in the once-booming riverport of Jefferson. Guests report phantom footsteps slamming doors and…

historical 0.2 mi away

Texas Second City on the Bayou

Picture this: its 1850 and youre standing on the banks of Big Cypress Bayou watching a parade of steamboats stacked high with cotton bales. Jefferson was no…

day trip

Day Trip to Jefferson 🐸 (FULL EPISODE) S3 E7

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Everything Near Jefferson

439 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Two Men, Two Grids, One Riverport
Jefferson was laid out in the early 1840s by two men who could not agree on a plan. Allen Urquhart, a North Carolina emigrant, took a headright on a bend of Big Cypress Bayou and aligned his streets to the water,…
Jefferson, TX
Once a bustling river port, Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians. It became one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872, with a peak population exceeding 30,000. The…
Brooks House · Historical Marker
Built 1872 in Victorian style, with long galleries, bay window, 4 gables. Then a hotel, it became famous when guest "Diamond Bessie" Moore was killed west of town at a picnic in 1877. Fellow guest Abe Rothchild, cited…
First National Bank of Jefferson · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town with a banking history that weathered the Great Depression. Look around this block – it’s seen a lot of financial comings and goings! Thomas J. Rogers, a Civil War captain,…
First Texas Artificial Gas Plant · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a city that was once the largest inland port and second largest in Texas. Back in 1870, the Jefferson Gas Light Company was chartered, and this site was part of it. They used retorts,…
Beard House · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Beard House, built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1860</say-as>. Notice how the kitchen is detached? That was the custom in the Old South, a way to keep the heat and the smells of…
Federal Court and Post Office Building · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former Federal Court and Post Office Building in Jefferson. For nearly seventy-five years, from 1890 to 1964, this building housed the Court of the Eastern District of Texas. Today, it serves as…
Jefferson Public Library · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Jefferson Public Library, a building that opened its doors in 1907. It was funded by local donations and a significant gift from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Jefferson was a town that truly…
Sterne Fountain · Historical Marker
You're driving past Sterne Fountain. Settling in Jefferson prior to the Civil War, Jacob and Ernestine Sterne became prominent leaders of the community. Their early management of the post office here and their…
Macedonia United Methodist Church · Historical Marker
You're driving past Macedonia United Methodist Church. Following the Civil War and emancipation, freed slaves began to see the need for a place to collectively worship and gather. As a result, newly freed slaves in…
Liberty Baptist Church · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Liberty Baptist Church. It began in April 1874 with eight charter members and Pastor W. W. Mond. Early services were in a shared Union Church building, also used as a school. The…
A Railroad Magnate's Curse and a Murdered Bride · 0.1 mi
Two dark tales fixed Jefferson in memory. Legend says railroad titan Jay Gould offered to route his line through town, was refused, and left cursing that grass would grow in the streets and bats roost in the belfries,…

Show all 200 nearby places

The Great Raft That Built a City · 0.1 mi · Things to Do
For centuries an 80-mile logjam called the Great Raft choked the Red River so completely that it backed water all the way up into Caddo Lake. That accidental…
Jay Goulds Curse on Jefferson · 0.1 mi · Things to Do
When railroad baron Jay Gould rolled into Jefferson in the 1870s he had a simple proposition: let me bring my railroad through town. The city fathers flush…
Gaslight From Pine Knots, and Ice in the Heat · 0.1 mi
Long before power lines reached East Texas, Jefferson glowed. In 1867 it became the first town in Texas to light itself with manufactured gas. Workers packed seven-foot iron drums called retorts with resin-rich pine…
Culberson, Charles Allen · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
One of Texas' most forceful leaders; 32 years in office as attorney general, governor, U. S. Senator. Born in Alabama; in childhood moved with parents to Texas. Lived in Jefferson 1861-1887. Was educated Virginia…
Jefferson Turn Basin · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and right here is the historic Turn Basin. Imagine this wide lagoon in Cypress Bayou as the bustling heart of the southwest's greatest inland port! Back in 1844, the steamer 'Lama' was…
Excelsior House · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Excelsior House, the oldest hotel in East Texas! Its original frame part went up in the 1850s, with a brick wing added in 1864. During Jefferson's heyday as a river port, this place hosted…
Jay Gould Railroad Car · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past what remains of a Gilded Age titan's personal luxury. This was the 'Atlanta,' the private railway car of railroad magnate Jay Gould, built in 1888. Imagine this opulent mahogany and crystal-lined…
Dalhart, Vernon · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, the birthplace of Vernon Dalhart, born Marion Try Slaughter II. He started his singing career right here at the Kahn Saloon, went on to star in New York operas, and even recorded for…
Fatally shot walking home in 1869 · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jefferson, where Captain William Perry played a huge role in making this an inland port. Arriving around 1840, he dredged the Big Cypress Bayou for ships and built a massive shipping business. He…
Last Confederate Powder Magazine in Texas · 0.1 mi · Things to Do
In 1863 with the Civil War grinding on the Confederacy needed a safe place to store gunpowder and ammunition deep in the Texas interior. They built an ordnance…
Perry, Captain William · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
(April 5, 1813 - January 2, 1869) William Perry was among the first settlers of Jefferson, arriving ca. 1840. Through his shipping business and his work in dredging a turning basin for ships in the Big Cypress Bayou, he…
Old United States Post Office and Courts Building (Jefferson, Texas) · 0.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here – this spot was once at the heart of a bustling riverport! The Old U.S. Post Office and Courts Building, now the Jefferson Historical Museum, stands as a reminder of Jefferson's boomtown days.…
Austin Street Mercantile · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, a town that was once the greatest inland port in the Southwest! Look for the Austin Street Mercantile building, likely erected before 1866. This place was a hub, housing offices, a…
Rosebud Saloon, Old · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that remembers its wilder days. Back in 1854, this spot was home to the Rosebud Saloon. It wasn't just a place to wet your whistle; it was the notorious rendezvous for judges,…
Kahn Saloon · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and right here is the site of the old Kahn Saloon. Built in the early 1860s, it started as a boarding house and mercantile before becoming a saloon around 1900. It's famous for two…
Jefferson C.S.A. · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jefferson C.S.A.. (Star and Wreath) Metropolis of commerce and culture for East Texas, Jefferson became important center for Confederate activity. Major quartermaster depot for northern Texas…
Clark, William · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and right here is the home of William Clark, a prominent local figure. The original back rooms of this house are thought to have been built even before 1852, possibly by Jefferson's…
Federal Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and right here is a building that served a vital role in the post-Civil War era. Erected in 1869, this was the very first Federal Court and Custom House in the region. It wasn't just…
Planters Bank · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that was once a major hub for Texas commerce. Look around for remnants of its past glory. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1852</say-as>, stood the warehouse…
Rowell Home · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Rowell Home in Jefferson, built around 1862 by civic leader Q. Bateman. Imagine this place lit by gaslight – it still has original fixtures! A. H. Rowell bought the home in 1884. It's a rare…
Rainey, S. D. · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the S. D. Rainey House in Jefferson, built in 1880. This place showcases a unique midwestern rococo architectural style. It became a hub of social life in 1886 when it became known as the R. S. Terry…
Early Jefferson Lodge Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the last of Jefferson's commercial-row buildings from its heyday as an inland port. Built in the late 1850s, this structure first housed the Jefferson Masonic Lodge. During the Civil War, businesses…
Nineteenth Century Business House · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that once boomed as a river port. Look for this fine structure, built in the 19th century. It's notable for its fanlight transoms and for once housing the Kahan Saloon, a key…
The Jefferson "Jimplecute" · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic home of the 'Jimplecute,' a newspaper born in 1848 from initials meaning 'Join Industry, Manufacturing, Planting, Labor, Energy, Capital (in) Unity Together Everlasting.' The paper was…
Murphy Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Murphy Building, a structure that's seen Jefferson's history unfold. Brothers John and James Murphy built this as a wholesale cotton warehouse back in the 1850s. Over the years, it's been…
Marion County Courthouse · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, the county seat of Marion County, created in 1860. By then, Jefferson was already a booming steamboat hub on Big Cypress Bayou. After a few temporary buildings, the county hired…
Livery Stable · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Livery Stable. Near Trammel's Trace, a road charted 1813, used by thousands of settlers migrating to Texas. Site was owned 1868 by D. B. Culberson, later a congressman and a lawyer for defense in the…
Brown Building · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Brown Building in Jefferson, a place that once housed the "Jimplecute" newspaper, along with other publications and the Chesterfield Social Club. Today, it's still known as the Brown Building, a…
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, where the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church parish began in 1863 with Father Jean Marie Giraud holding mass. The first building was completed in 1867, and the church moved to its…
The Port That a Log Jam Built and Dynamite Killed · 0.2 mi
Jefferson owed everything to a natural disaster upstream. For centuries a colossal log jam called the Great Raft clogged the Red River, backing water up into the bayous and lifting Big Cypress Bayou high enough for…
George Webster Smith · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town still feeling the heat of Reconstruction. Look to your right, and you're passing the site of the old calaboose, the city jail. It was here, on October 4th, <say-as…
The Diamond Bessie murder trial · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of George T. Todd, a man who saw a lot of Texas history. Born in Virginia in 1839, he served with Hood's Texas Brigade during the Civil War, even taking command at Chickamauga. After…
Texas Second City on the Bayou · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
Picture this: its 1850 and youre standing on the banks of Big Cypress Bayou watching a parade of steamboats stacked high with cotton bales. Jefferson was no…
Spielberg Fled the Excelsior House · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
The Excelsior House has been hosting guests since the 1850s and most of them sleep just fine. Steven Spielberg was not one of them. The story goes that the…
The Grove — Americas Most Haunted House · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
Built in 1861 in the middle of Jeffersons boom years The Grove looks like any other graceful Southern home from the outside. Inside is another story entirely.…
Mardi Gras Upriver Since 1871 · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
Jeffersons bond with New Orleans ran deeper than just cotton money. Those steamboat captains carried the spirit of the French Quarter right up the bayou and in…
The Jefferson Hotel · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
One of the most haunted hotels in the South. Built in the 1850s in the once-booming riverport of Jefferson. Guests report phantom footsteps slamming doors and…
Todd, George T. · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
(1839-1913) Born in Virginia. Came to Texas 1843. During Civil War, served in famous Hood's Texas Brigade. At Chickamauga, took command after Gen. Hood was shot. In 1864-1865, fought west of the Mississippi with Lane's…
First Methodist Church · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Jefferson's First Methodist Church, founded way back in 1844. Its first log church was replaced in 1860 by a brick building that was called the most imposing west of the Mississippi…
Jefferson Playhouse · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Jefferson Playhouse, built around 1860 as a theater. But this building has worn many hats since then. It served as a convent and hospital for the Sisters of Charity, then became the synagogue for…
First Artificial Gas Lights in Texas · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
In 1867 while most Texas towns were still stumbling around by candlelight Jefferson decided it deserved better. Workers built a gas works where they stuffed…
Texas First Ice Factory · 0.2 mi · Things to Do
Imagine living in the sweltering East Texas heat of the 1860s where the only ice you ever saw came on a ship from New England — if it arrived at all. Then…
Capt. William E. Singleton House · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Capt. William E. Singleton House in Jefferson, built in the 1860s. Notice its unique cruciform, or cross-shaped, plan, a design that evolved back in 17th century Virginia. This impressive home…
Terry, W.S. · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and you're passing the former home of one of Texas's most important Masons. This house was built before 1850 for B. J. Terry, who served as the Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge of…
Torrans-Clopton-Spellings House · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town with a rich past. Look to your right, and you'll see the Torrans-Clopton-Spellings House. Built in the 1860s by William P. Torrans, this Greek Revival home has seen a lot of…
Plantation House · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the "Plantation" house, built back in 1854. Notice its unique design, with a brick ground floor and wooden upper stories. It's also known for those grand double iron stairways leading up to the…
The corner tower's mansard roof · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Todd House in Jefferson, built in 1893 by Captain George Todd, a Confederate veteran and prominent East Texas lawyer. Look for the late Victorian architecture, especially that corner tower with…
Todd, George T. · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker
Capt. George Todd (1839-1913) was a Confederate veteran, ex-district attorney, former state legislator, and senior member of East Texas Bar. He built this home in 1893 for his family: wife Marion (Miller); sons Van…
Jefferson - The Town That Lost Everything · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
In the 1870s, Jefferson was the largest and wealthiest city in Texas, a steamboat port rivaling New Orleans. It collapsed when the railroad bypassed it and the river was drained.
Diamond Bessie Murder Trial - Jefferson · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
In January 1877, a well-dressed couple checked into the Brooks House hotel in Jefferson. He signed the register as A. Monroe. She wore diamonds on every finger and was known on the circuit as Diamond Bessie. They…
Benefield, Barry · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of Barry Benefield, a writer who captured the spirit of East Texas. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1877</say-as>, Benefield grew up around his father's wagon yard in…
Perry, William · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of Captain William Perry, built in the 1850s. Perry commanded riverboats when Jefferson was the largest inland port in Texas. Imagine the steamboats lining the docks, bringing goods…
Perry, Captain William · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that owes a lot to Captain William Perry. He arrived around 1840 and became a key player in making this an inland port. Perry dredged the Big Cypress Bayou, boosting shipping and…
Emmert, Alice · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Alice Emmert house, built around 1868 in late Greek Revival style. It was later updated with Victorian elements before Alice Emmert herself purchased it in 1898. She made history, serving as one…
Oldest house in Jefferson · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Rogers Home. Built 1839. Oldest house in Jefferson. Once home of Gen. J.
Rogers Home · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
Built 1839. Oldest house in Jefferson. Once home of Gen. J. H. Rogers, Civil War leader. Presbyterian manse since 1903. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
First Baptist Church of Jefferson · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town with a rich past. Look to your right for the site of the First Baptist Church. Organized way back in 1855 as the Missionary Baptist Church, this congregation held services in all…
Preston Home · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, and right here stands the Preston Home, built in the mid-1800s by J. C. Preston, a pioneer druggist. This house later became home to Judge Seborn Moseley and his family, who lived here…
Schluter Home · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Schluter Home, a colonial-style house built way back in 1856. F.A. Schluter was one of the very first six settlers to call Jefferson home. Imagine this place back then, with its spacious halls…
Walker, R.B. · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former home of R.B. Walker, a prominent Jefferson merchant and former mayor. Walker had this impressive Classical Revival style house built for his family in <say-as interpret-as="date"…
Woods, Perry · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Perry Woods home in Jefferson, a French town house that tells the story of the 19th-century trade between Jefferson and New Orleans. Its original plan is still intact, a testament to its enduring…
Graham, Charles G. · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, the hometown of Captain Charles G. Graham. He served in the Confederate army during the Civil War, even getting wounded at the Battle of Mansfield in 1864. After the war, Graham became…
Atkins House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Atkins House in Jefferson, a fine example of late Greek Revival architecture, likely built around 1860. It was home to T. O. Alley, whose father co-founded this town. Later, it housed a steamboat…
Presbyterian Church · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and look to your right. You're passing the Presbyterian Church, built in 1872. It was once the largest Cumberland Presbyterian Church building in all of Texas! Keep an eye out for its…
Alley, Dan N. · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Dan N. Alley house in Jefferson, a place with deep roots in this historic town. Dan N. Alley himself was one of Jefferson's founders, and this house was originally built as a wedding gift for his…
Homestead · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that was once the social center of East Texas. Look around for the site of this homestead, built way back in 1851. It was constructed using slave labor, with broadax-hewn boards…
Figures House · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Figures House, a classic Greek Revival cottage built in the 1850s by Bartholomew Figures, a former innkeeper. Over the years, it was owned by a dressmaker, then by a family as landlords, before…
Christ Episcopal Church · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Christ Episcopal Church in Jefferson. The parish was instituted in 1860, and Reverend E. G. Benners served as its first resident clergyman from 1869 to 1894. The building features Gothic architecture…
Jefferson Historic District (Jefferson, Texas) · 0.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time as you enter the Jefferson Historic District, a living testament to Texas history! This area, encompassing 107 acres in central Jefferson, earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places…
Jefferson Ordnance Magazine · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Jefferson Ordnance Magazine, a relic from the Civil War. Built to safely store gunpowder and munitions, this single-room brick structure was designed with security and ventilation in mind. It…
Confederate Civil War Meat Packing Plant · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jefferson, Texas, where during the Civil War, a meat packing plant played a crucial role for the Confederacy. Located about two miles southwest of here, J. B. Dunn's operation dressed, packed, and…
Stilley-Young House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Stilley-Young House in Jefferson, a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture. Built for cotton broker Frank Stilley and his wife Minerva in 1860, this home has a fascinating second act. By…
House of the Seasons · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising past the House of the Seasons, built in 1872 for Benjamin Epperson, a confidant of Sam Houston and a major player in Texas politics. This home is a beautiful example of architectural transition, blending…
Alley-McKay House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town founded by Daniel Nelson Alley. About 1851, Alley built this very home, a classic example of Greek Revival architecture. It features a central hall plan with four rooms. Later,…
Gay 90's House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, a town that once buzzed as a major Texas port. Look for the J. M. Benefield Home, once known as the Gay 90's House. This place was the heart of social life back in the day, hosting all…
Bower, Doyle · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a survivor from Jefferson's past, built way back in 1858. This house, constructed by Haye Zolley, is a prime example of early Texas architecture. Look closely at the details – it was built using…
Todd-Terhune Residence · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, past a house that's seen a lot of history. Built in 1856 or 1857 by C.S. Sabine, it's a classic Greek Revival design. Just a year later, it was bought by District Judge William S. Todd,…
Urquhart, A.M. · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, and right here is the former site of the A.M. Urquhart cottage. Built around the turn of the 20th century, this home was for Angus Mezappa Urquhart and his wife, Mary Jane. Angus was…
Godfrey-Singleton House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Godfrey-Singleton House, a beautiful example of Folk Victorian architecture. Built starting in 1892 for teacher Margaret Godfrey, it was later expanded by the Singleton family, who lived here for…
Thurman Place · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Thurman Place, one of the oldest homes in Jefferson, with a history stretching back to about 1857. It started as the property of P.M. Graham, a land dealer and merchant who also served as the first…
Rogers Home · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Rogers Home, built in the 1850s. It was the residence of Captain T. J. Rogers, who founded and led a private bank here in Jefferson. This home, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, was later…
Falling Leaves, 1855 · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, and right here is the site of Falling Leaves, a home with a long history. The original four rooms and a hall were built in 1855. Over the years, it saw additions, including a long ell…
Rowell, J. H., Home · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the J. H. Rowell home, built around 1858. The Rowell family has called this place home since 1879. J. H. Rowell himself served Jefferson for several terms as mayor and alderman, making this a home…
Brantley, Hattie Rilla [H.R.] · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hattie Rilla "H.R." Brantley, nurse, member of the United States Army, prisoner of war (POW) during World War II , and longtime women's advocate in the military, was born on April 4, 1916, in Jefferson, Marion County,…
Jefferson, TX (Marion County) · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Jefferson, the county seat of Marion County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 49, on Big Cypress Creek and Caddo Lake in the south central portion of the county. It was named for Thomas Jefferson…
Mabry, Hinche Parham Jr. · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Hinche Parham Mabry Jr., soldier and jurist, was born at Laurel Hill, Carroll County, Georgia, on October 27, 1829, one of six children of Hinche Parham and Lynnea (Stallings) Mabry. He attended the University of…
Mittie Stephens · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near the Texas-Louisiana border, and right here on Caddo Lake, a terrible tragedy unfolded on the night of February 12th, 1869. The sidewheel steamboat Mittie Stephens, carrying 107 passengers and crew,…
Slaughter, Marion Try II [Vernon Dalhart] · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, near Jefferson, the hometown of Vernon Dalhart. Born Marion Try Slaughter II, he grew up on a ranch and learned to ride and shoot. But his real talent was singing. After moving to…
Smith, George Washington · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jefferson, Texas, a town with a dark chapter in its past. Right here, George Washington Smith, a Union soldier turned merchant and politician, found himself at the center of a violent storm after…
Union Missionary Baptist Church · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of one of Texas's oldest African-American heritage landmarks. In 1842, this land was first conveyed to slaves to establish a non-denominational place of worship. The sanctuary built here in…
Andrews, Julius A. · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, not far from Jefferson, where a young man named Julius Andrews arrived before the Civil War. Born in Georgia, he moved to Louisiana and then here to Texas, enlisting in the Confederate…
Armistead, William Thomas · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jefferson, Texas, and right here is where one of the most notorious murder trials in Texas history unfolded. In 1878, William Thomas Armistead, a rising Texas politician and lawyer, was one of the…
Big Cypress Creek (Franklin County) · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Jefferson, Texas, a town that owes its very existence to the waters of Big Cypress Bayou. For decades, this waterway was the lifeblood of North and East Texas, forming the final link in a chain of…
Black, Harvey H. · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, near Jefferson, the home of Captain Harvey Black's "Marion Rifles." These were the very first troops from Texas to join the Confederate army, mustering in May of <say-as…
Crump, Richard Phillip · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, maybe near Jefferson, and right here is a place tied to the dramatic life of Richard Phillip Crump. He was a soldier for Texas, fighting in the Republic's Snively Expedition in…
Davidson, James · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas right now, and back in the early 1870s, this area was under strict military rule. James Davidson, the Adjutant General of Texas, was tasked with bringing order. He organized the State…
Kelly Plow Company · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, a region that once forged the very tools that tilled this land. Right here, near Jefferson, you're passing through the heart of where the Kelly Plow Company got its start. Back in…
Kelly, George Addison · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, and right here in Jefferson is where George Addison Kelly arrived in 1852, fresh off a steamship. He quickly found work at a small iron foundry, making crude plows. But Kelly saw a…
Mabry, Woodford Haywood · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jefferson, Texas, a town that was home to Woodford Haywood Mabry. Born here in 1856, Mabry became a key figure in the Texas military. As Adjutant General, he whipped the Frontier Battalion of the…
Marion County · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, and right here is Jefferson, a town that owes its very existence to a giant mess of logs. Before the 1840s, the Red River was choked by a massive logjam known as the Red River Raft.…
McReynolds, James Harris, Jr. [Harry] · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson, where you'll find the resting place of Major James Harris McReynolds. He was a key leader of the Ninth Texas Infantry, a regiment that saw some of the fiercest…
Nelson, Steady · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson, the birthplace of Horace "Steady" Nelson. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1913</say-as>, Nelson became a jazz trumpeter who found fame with the…
Nineteenth Texas Infantry · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Northeast Texas, a region that sent its sons to fight for the Confederacy. Right here, in the spring of 1862, men from ten counties, including Marion and Cass, gathered to form the Nineteenth…
Rogers, James Harrison · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson, where James Harrison Rogers settled back in 1843. He wasn't just any lawyer; Rogers was a brigadier general in the Texas militia, a judge on the Texas Supreme…
Saufley, William Patton · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson, where William Patton Saufley made his mark. He was a merchant, a state senator, and a Confederate officer. Saufley's unit, known as 'Saufley's Scouting…
Taylor, Marion Dekalb · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Jefferson, where a prominent doctor and politician named Marion Dekalb Taylor made his mark. He arrived here in 1847, eventually serving an incredible twenty-four years in…
Magnolias · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Magnolias, a house built in 1867 by Lucy Ann Alley. She was married to Dan Alley, who donated half of Jefferson's townsite! This grand home still stands, boasting handmade columns, massive hewn…
Sagamore · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, and right here is the Sagamore cottage, built way back in 1852. This frontier home has a cool connection to Texas innovation. Its owner, Henry Scott, wasn't just living the pioneer…
Culberson, David Browning · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Northeast Texas, not far from Jefferson, the town where David Browning Culberson made his home and built a long career. Born in Georgia, Culberson moved to Texas in 1856, eventually settling in…
Eighteenth Texas Infantry · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, near Jefferson, where the Eighteenth Texas Infantry was organized in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1862</say-as>. This unit, also known as Ochiltree's regiment, spent its…
Epperson, Benjamin Holland · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, perhaps near Jefferson, and you might be passing the House of the Seasons. This unique Italian villa-style home was built in 1872 by Benjamin Holland Epperson, a prominent lawyer and…
Loughery, Robert W. · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here in Jefferson, you're passing through the stomping grounds of Robert W. Loughery, a newspaperman who made a big impact in the late 1800s. He started his Texas career in…
Maxey, Thomas Sheldon · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jefferson, Texas, a town that once hosted a significant figure in Texas legal history: Thomas Sheldon Maxey. After serving in the Confederate Army and earning law degrees, Maxey settled here in…
Penn, William Evander · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Jefferson, Texas, a town that became home to William Evander Penn, a man known as the 'Texas Evangelist.' Penn served as a Confederate soldier, even being captured in 1864. After the war, he…
Taylor, Ennis Ward · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through North Texas, maybe near Fort Worth, and you're passing through the territory of Ennis Ward Taylor. Born in Alabama in 1839, Taylor came to Texas as a child and settled in Jefferson. He was a…
Todd, George T. · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas now, near Jefferson, where a Confederate soldier named George T. Todd fought with Hood's Texas Brigade. He signed up as a private in May of <say-as interpret-as="date"…
Rowell Family Home · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Rowell Family Home in Jefferson, a clapboard cottage with some really ornate trim. It’s seen a lot of history, starting out as a tavern before Dr. R. E. Rowell’s family bought it in 1856. It’s…
Houston Street Victorian Cottage · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, a town built on the riches brought by its early ferry. Look around, and you might spot this charming Victorian Cottage. It dates back to at least 1851, when John M. and Nancy Dollehite…
Hudgins-Blake House · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Hudgins-Blake House in Jefferson, a testament to architectural style and enduring family legacy. Built between 1855 and 1867 by William P. Hudgins, this grand residence boasts 13-foot ceilings…
Knightwood · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Knightwood, a grand house built in 1852 by Colonel Henry Mimms as a wedding gift for his daughter. This wasn't just a home; it was a hub of local culture. Imagine the scene: the Men's Harmony Club…
Brown-Bender House · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Brown-Bender House, a stunning example of stick Victorian architecture built in 1888. Lumberman George Washington Brown, who later got into oil and gas, first called this ornate home his own. It…
Marsh Place · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that was once the greatest river port in the Southwest. Look for Marsh Place, one of the earliest homes here, built around 1860. It became known as Marsh Place after S. Marsh…
Foscue, Benjamin Daniel · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Benjamin Daniel Foscue, Texas state legislator, Civil War veteran, and businessman, was born on April 10, 1833, in Marianna, Jackson County, Florida, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Smith) Foscue. He moved to Jefferson,…
Duncan, John Martin · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson or Longview, where lawyer and statesman John Martin Duncan made his mark. He arrived in Marion County back in 1858, working in an iron foundry during the Civil…
Jefferson and Northwestern Railway · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, and right here, the story of the Jefferson and Northwestern Railway unfolds. Chartered in 1899, this railroad aimed to connect Jefferson with towns like Linden and Naples. For decades,…
Ochiltree, William Beck · 0.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Jefferson. You're passing through a place that was home to William Beck Ochiltree, a man who wore many hats in 19th-century Texas. He arrived in Nacogdoches in 1839,…
Keese, George · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the George Keese home, built around 1858. It was constructed by Dan M. Alley, who also laid out the city's Alley addition. This home is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Waterhouse, Richard · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Jefferson area, home to Richard Waterhouse, a man who saw action in two major American wars. Born in Tennessee in 1833, Waterhouse fought in the Mexican-American War before heading to Texas. When…
Claiborne House · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, heading past the Claiborne House. Built in 1875 by Volney H. Claiborne, a Civil War veteran, this home is a rare example of the late Greek Revival style in Texas. It was the family home…
Vines, John M. · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jefferson, where John M. Vines once served as sheriff. But his most daring duty came in April of 1877. Vines was sent by the state of Texas all the way to Ohio to bring back Abe Rothschild.…
Jefferson · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Jefferson, Texas, a town that was once the bustling river port of the entire state. Founded way back in 1836 and named for President Thomas Jefferson, this city hit its peak between 1846 and…
Trammel's Trace · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Marion County, following a route that was once a vital artery for Texas immigration: Trammel's Trace. This path started as Indian trails, but in 1824, government scout Nicholas Trammel began…
Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park, built by the National Youth Administration in the 1930s. Supported by President Roosevelt's WPA, this park opened in 1938, offering a place for…
Blue Bonnet Farm · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Blue Bonnet Farm, a raised cottage that was begun way back in 1847. The main wing you see was built in 1869, using heart pine cut right here on the home place. This home is a Recorded Texas Historic…
Freeman Plantation · 1.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Prepare to step back in time to the Freeman Plantation, a grand reminder of a bygone era. Construction on this impressive Greek Revival mansion finished around 1850. It became the heart of a working plantation. The…
Freeman Plantation · 1.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Freeman Plantation. This Greek revival plantation home was built about 1850 by Williamson M. (1807-66) and Drucilla (1812-65) Freeman for their children. A cotton and sugar cane planter, Freeman also…
Hodge-Taylor House · 1.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Hodge-Taylor House, built in 1852 by Berry and Lavenia Hodge. Their son, Robert, served in the 3rd Texas Cavalry and died from wounds sustained in the Battle of Atlanta in 1864. Later, this Greek…
Jefferson · 2.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Jefferson, a town that boomed thanks to its unique geography. Founded in 1839, Jefferson was laid out with two different street grids – one north-south, the other diagonal to Big Cypress Bayou.…
The Engineering That Drained a Port · 2.2 mi
The story of Jefferson's rise and fall is a dramatic lesson in hydrology and engineering. For centuries, a massive logjam called the 'Great Raft' clogged 165 miles of the Red River downstream. This natural dam backed up…
The Mystery of Diamond Bessie · 2.2 mi
As you pass the Oakwood Cemetery, you’re near the final resting place of one of Texas’s most famous murder victims. In 1877, a beautiful woman named Bessie Moore, known as 'Diamond Bessie' for the jewels she wore,…
Queen of the Cypress · 2.2 mi
Picture the Big Cypress Bayou not as the quiet stream you see today, but as a bustling highway of commerce. In the 1860s this was the sight of Jefferson's glory: the head of navigation, the farthest inland a steamboat…
Jay Gould and the 'End of Jefferson' · 2.2 mi
If you see the historic Excelsior House Hotel downtown, you're looking at the scene of a legendary confrontation. The story Jefferson has told for well over a century goes like this: railroad tycoon Jay Gould came to…
The Jefferson Stockade · 2.2 mi
The years after the Civil War were a tense and violent time in Jefferson. The town sat under Federal military authority, and the friction between local ex-Confederates and newly empowered Republicans, including African…
Stockade Case · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, and right here, in late 1868, a shocking act of violence unfolded. It started with the shooting of George W. Smith, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, after a Republican…
Ames, Harriet A. Moore Page Potter · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through East Texas, maybe near Caddo Lake, and right here is the site of a remarkable woman's life. Harriet Ames arrived in Texas before the revolution, abandoned by her first husband. She survived on…
Clarke, Edward A. · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the territory where two of the very first American-born Catholic priests began their ministry. Edward A. Clarke and his friend George W. Haydon…
Ferry Lake · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past what we know today as Caddo Lake, but back in the Republic of Texas days, it was often called Ferry Lake. Imagine this: in the spring of 1800, a massive logjam on the Red River, known as the Great…
Nash's Iron Foundry · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, not far from where you are now, the first iron furnace and foundry in Texas once stood. Built in 1847 by Jefferson S. Nash, this ambitious venture aimed to tap into the region's…
Whelan Site · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Marion County, not far from Jefferson, but the history here is now submerged beneath the waters of Lake O' the Pines. This was once the Whelan Site, a ceremonial center for Caddoan peoples dating…
Kellyville, TX · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Kellyville, four miles west of Jefferson in Marion County, was the site of one of the state's first heavy industry experiments, the Kelly Foundry, Furnace, and Plow Company. Kellyville was originally called Four-Mile…
Mims Chapel, TX (Marion County) · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Mims Chapel is on Farm Road 729 by a tributary of Alley's Creek a mile north of Lake O' the Pines, sixteen miles northwest of Jefferson in northwestern Marion County. It is believed to have been founded about 1843, when…
Lassater, TX · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Lassater is on the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway at the intersection of Farm Road 1969 and State Highway 49, ten miles northwest of Jefferson in northwestern Marion County. It was named for Joe Lassater, an early…
Smithland, TX · 2.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
Smithland, on State Highway 49 twelve miles northeast of Jefferson in eastern Marion County, was named for John Frank Smith, who moved to the site in 1842, when it was still part of Cass County. An earlier Smithland…
The Diamond Bessie Murder · 3.9 mi · Things to Do
On a winter day in 1877 a well-dressed couple crossed the bridge over Cypress Bayou carrying a picnic basket. He was Abraham Rothschild heir to a jewelry…
Bell Factory · 3.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Jefferson, where a simple log blacksmith shop in 1854 sparked a Texas innovation. This became the G. A. Kelly foundry, famous for making cowbells that jingled across the frontier with ox-team…
Berea Community · 4.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Berea Community. In 1913, citizens of Jefferson, through the secretary of their Progressive Club, began to discuss the establishment of a Seventh - Day Adventist colony and school in this part of…
Taylor Cemetery · 6.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Taylor Cemetery, the earliest marked burial here a four-month-old named Emmett, laid to rest in May of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1860</say-as>. Family legend says slaves were buried just…
Woodlawn Baptist Church · 7.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Woodlawn Baptist Church, originally organized as Bethesda Baptist Church back on July 21, 1850, with thirteen charter members. The original church building was moved in 1877, and for…
Lockett Cemetery · 8.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Lockett Cemetery, a final resting place for six generations of the Lockett family. They arrived in Texas between 1856 and 1858, bringing their children and slaves. The earliest marked grave here is…
Texas Confederate Legislator, Dr. M. D. K. Taylor · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Linden, where Dr. M. D. K. Taylor served Cass County for 24 years in the Texas Legislature. During the critical Civil War years, he was a leading voice, helping pass laws to raise and equip 90,000…
Mount Zion Baptist Church of Christ · 8.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving by Mount Zion Baptist Church of Christ, organized in 1851 with twelve members. This sanctuary was built in 1885, replacing the original log church. A historic cemetery next to it dates back to 1864.
From Linden to Jefferson, a Road Chosen on Purpose · 9.5 mi
U.S. Highway Fifty Nine between Jefferson and Linden is the Trooper Scott Burns Memorial Highway, and the route was chosen on purpose. Linden is where Burns lived with his young family. Jefferson is where he was…
Henderson, John Barry · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Marshall, and to your right, you're passing the John Barry Henderson home. This place has a story that bridges the Civil War. The rear wing was built before 1861, serving as a way station on the…
Caddo Lake · 10.5 mi · Natural Landmark
Texas has over 200 reservoirs, but only one natural lake. Caddo Lake was formed by the Great Raft, a massive log jam on the Red River that backed water up through Big Cypress Bayou and flooded the lowlands of East…
Wilkinson Cemetery · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Marion County, past the Wilkinson Cemetery. This family burial ground served the Old Wilkinson Plantation. The earliest burial here, dating to 1854, was an infant daughter of Confederate veteran…
Whittaker Memorial Cemetery · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Whittaker Memorial Cemetery, a final resting place with a powerful story of resilience. This African American cemetery began as a burial ground for enslaved people on Willis Whitaker's vast…
Savannah Cemetery · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Savannah Cemetery, which began as the family burial ground for Sofia Smith Whatley and her descendants. She moved to this area in the late 1800s to join her sons. The oldest marked grave here is an…
Port Caddo · 11.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Karnack, and just off this road lies the ghost of Port Caddo. This place was born in controversy, right in the middle of a 'neutral ground' disputed by nations from 1806. The folks here? They were…
Johnson, Lyndon B., Mrs. · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Karnack, Texas, the hometown of a First Lady who championed the beauty of America. Claudia Alta Taylor, better known as 'Lady Bird' Johnson, was born right near here on December 22nd, 1912. Her…
Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Karnack, near the site of the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant. Opened in 1941, this massive facility churned out over 400 million pounds of TNT during World War II. It later produced propellant…
Caddo Lake · 12.1 mi · Things to Do
The only natural lake in Texas. Spanish moss-draped cypress trees and alligators.
Stagecoach Road · 12.2 mi
Outside Marshall, in deep East Texas, Stagecoach Road is the real eighteen-fifties stage line that ran cotton and passengers down to Shreveport — run by planter William Bradfield until the railroad killed it off in the…
Marshall-Shreveport Stagecoach Road · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the old route of the Marshall-Shreveport Stagecoach Road. Before the Civil War, this dusty track was Texas's superhighway, connecting Marshall to Shreveport and then on to New Orleans markets.…
Liberty Cemetery · 12.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Liberty Cemetery, a final resting place with roots going back to the 1850s. It started as the burial ground for the Liberty Baptist Church, with Bennett C. Ragon donating land in 1872. The oldest…
A Name With No Certain Origin · 12.7 mi
You're in Uncertain, Texas, so here's the uncertainty tangent behind the name: the town's naming story is appropriately unresolved. One tradition says steamboat captains found the Caddo Lake landing difficult to moor…
A Thirty Percent Forecast Is Not a Broken Promise · 12.7 mi
You're in Uncertain, Texas, so here's the uncertainty tangent behind the name: probability describes patterns or degrees of belief under stated assumptions, not a guarantee for one event. A thirty percent precipitation…
Two Famous Uncertainties That Are Not the Same · 12.7 mi
You're in Uncertain, Texas, so here's the uncertainty tangent behind the name: Schrodinger's cat is a thought experiment designed to expose the strangeness of applying quantum superposition to an everyday cat; it was…
Why Not Knowing Feels So Bad · 12.7 mi
You're in Uncertain, Texas, so here's the uncertainty tangent behind the name: human brains constantly predict what comes next. Uncertainty can keep attention and stress systems active because no response can yet be…
Certain, Vivid, and Wrong · 12.7 mi
You're in Uncertain, Texas, so here's the uncertainty tangent behind the name: memory is reconstruction, not a perfect recording. Suggestive questions, repeated retelling, stress, expectations, and later information can…
A Star in the Window, a Marker by the Road · 12.7 mi
This road carries a Blue Star Memorial Highway designation, one of a string of them across Texas. The name comes from a family tradition. When someone in a household was serving in the armed forces, the family displayed…
Uncertain, TX · 12.9 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Uncertain, Texas, a community on the shores of Caddo Lake. Ever wonder how a town gets a name like Uncertain? Well, locals have a couple of theories. One story says it’s because steamboat captains…
Marshall · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Marshall, Texas, a town that played a surprisingly significant role in the Civil War. Founded back in 1839 and named for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, this city became a major…
Marshall Powder Mill · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Marshall Powder Mill, a critical Confederate operation during the Civil War. After Vicksburg fell, cutting off supplies, the Confederacy had to scramble. By late 1863, this plant was…
Dick and Charlie's Tea Room · 13.0 mi · Web
On a stretch of Caddo Lake just east of Uncertain, a weathered shack stands on stilts over the dark water. Dick and Charlie's Tea Room. The cabin went up around nineteen hundred, sitting right on the line between Marion…
Nesbitt Cemetery · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Nesbitt Cemetery, a final resting place with roots stretching back to 1847. Twin brothers Robert Jamieson and Nathan Nesbitt settled here that year. The first burial was Nathan's wife, Psyche, who…
Powder Mill Cemetery · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the old Powder Mill Cemetery, just outside Marshall. This ground has a complex history, starting with a Confederate gunpowder factory. When the factory was destroyed in <say-as…
Uncertain - The Town With No Answers · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker
Uncertain, Texas has a population of about ninety-four people and a name that nobody can fully explain. The most popular story is that steamboat captains on Caddo Lake were uncertain about where to land, but other…
Trees Older Than the Nation, Fish Older Than Dinosaurs · 13.5 mi
The dark, mirror-still water around Uncertain hides two of the oldest living things you will ever drift past. First, the trees. Those flared, knobby-kneed bald cypress rising straight out of the water, draped in gray…

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Jefferson, Texas

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Boogie Woogie Fest RoadyGoat

Dale Watson RoadyGoat

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Two Men, Two Grids, One Riverport RoadyGoat

Jefferson, TX RoadyGoat

Jefferson, TX RoadyGoat

Jefferson - The Town That Lost Everything

Brantley, Hattie Rilla [H.R.]

Brooks House

Culberson, Charles Allen

Jefferson, TX (Marion County)

Mabry, Hinche Parham Jr.

Things to Do in Jefferson

Everything Near Jefferson

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