Although we have been to Jefferson, Texas, many times through the years, we always make a stop when we’re near this beautiful historic town. Jefferson was established in 1840 as one of the earliest towns in Texas. Having been recently acquired from the Indigenous Caddo Confederacy, this site was a perfect docking point for steamships with supplies coming from New Orleans, St. Louis and other places on the Red River. With the shipping of goods from the states on the Atlantic seaboard so important for early settlers in the West, Jefferson grew to a population of around 30,000 people on the banks of the Big Cypress Bayou.
The Red River Raft, as it was known in the early years, was a vast logjam on the Red River that, according to the Caddo people, had been there for more than 100 years. It had been impossible to break up until 1879, when the Army Corps of Engineers used recently invented nitroglycerin to blast the logs and permit the river to flow freely. No one foresaw that this would lower the depth of the Red River and make it impossible for the ship trade to reach Jefferson.
A few years earlier Jay Gould had tried to establish his railroad to make Jefferson an important stop. Because of the excellent river trade, however, the town refused to permit the railroad to come there. Gould warned that the citizens would deeply regret this decision. When the raft was broken up the town population ultimately diminished to around 3,000 people.
We were fascinated to see The Atlanta, the opulent private rail car owned by Gould, which is permanently on display, adding much to the feel of the historic era. And the R.D. Moses Model Train Layout at the Jefferson Historical Museum is in a building that looks like an early train station. Train-lovers of any age will enjoy this exacting model-train village scene.
Today the population is fewer than 2,000. A walk through the historic town passes well-preserved homes, stores, churches and hotels that are all well-preserved. The magnificent trees along the town’s streets make the setting refreshing, even on a hot summer day.
The Excelsior House Hotel, the oldest hotel in Texas, has been in continuous operation since 1858. You can stay in one of 15 guest rooms beautifully furnished with period antiques and also equipped with all the modern features you need, including cable TV and WiFi. This historic hotel has hosted many famous people through the years, such as Ulysses S. Grant, Oscar Wilde, Rutherford B. Hayes, Lady Bird Johnson and Steven Spielberg, to name just a few. Many parties and important events have taken place in the grand ballroom and the fountain courtyard.
In 1961 the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, with the association of the Excelsior Foundation, began operating the hotel as a nonprofit. Although our schedule did not permit an overnight stay, we enjoyed a tour of these exquisite facilities, marveling at the opulence of the 19th century.
A must-see on a Jefferson walking history tour is the mercantile store. The huge array of merchandise displayed in the ages-old Jefferson General Store include souvenirs, toys, groceries and much more. It is impossible to see everything because the store is so filled, but make sure to try the ice cream they sell there, which is a delicious treat.
We happened to park in front of The Grove, built in 1861 and now a bed and breakfast on the National Registry of Historic Places. Enormous trees in the yard shelter a lovely white carriage at what we later learned is the most haunted old building in town. It has been the home of different families through the years, with several owners claiming to see a lady in white walk through the walls and pass through halls that no longer exist but were in the early drawings of the home. She is apparently on a quest to check her children sleeping in their bedroom, which no longer exists.
