Jefferson, Texas

Amy and I spent last weekend in Jefferson, Texas - about a three hour drive from Dallas. Jefferson had the distinction of being the second largest 'port' town in Texas in the 1870s but because of some engineering events (the US Corps of Engineers blew up a natural logjam dam that made the river unnavigable by steamships -doh!) and poor decisions (the town leaders decided to decline offers of railway access believing they were well served via their river port) the town declined from a peak of 30,000 residents in the 1870s to about 2,000 today.

As a result there are a number of wonderful old homes from the mid 1800s and an equal number of legends of ghosts, curses and odd characters. Combine this with a feel that is half Louisiana and half Texas and you have a great place to spend a weekend.

The funny thing is that now the town is made up of 80% retirees and most of the larger grand homes are either museums or bed and breakfasts. The town's only real industry is tourism. In other words, Jefferson TX like many other small old towns in America, is a 'fake' town in a way. The things to see are the old houses, the old fashioned main store where you can still get penny candy and is filled with products of another age, antique stores and of course the ghost tours. Basically the town exists simply to allow you to try to visit another era. Kind of weird if you think about it too much.

The picture at the top is of the old courthouse built in the 1870s during Jefferson's peak. It now houses a pretty interesting museum.


Your's truly in front of the Excelsior House Hotel built in the 1850s. Dignitaries that stayed here include Oscar Wilde (one of my favorites), U.S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Lady Bird Johnson.


The "House of the Seasons" built in 1872. Now a bed and breakfast, George W. and Laura stayed here while he was Governor of Texas. The most unique features of the house are the cupola and the murals. In the cupola, under the picture, each wall contains a different colored stained glass that creates the illusion of the seasons of the year. The most interesting interior feature is the dome containing beautiful murals. It may be viewed from the first floor through the well-like opening.

These pics were taken with Amy's cell phone camera. Not bad for a cell phone.