|
CLARKSVILLE,
TEXAS
Red
River County Seat, East
Texas
33°36'40"N 95°3'9"W (33.611086, -95.052448)
US 82, Hwy 37, FM 114, 412, 909, 910 & 1159
31 miles E of Paris
39 miles N of Mount
Vernon
58 miles W of Texarkana
ZIP code 75426
Area code 903
Population: 2,857 (2020)
3,285 (2010) 3,883 (2000) 4,311 (1990)
Clarksville Area Hotels:
Paris
Hotels | Mount
Vernon Hotels |
 |
Clarksville
By Robin Jett
I visit Clarksville quite often, since my Grandmother used to run
the store and post office in the tiny Red River County settlement
of Acworth, which is where my parents
live now. I've always loved Clarksville's Old South look - kind of
dilapidated but dignified. Most of the downtown streets are still
paved with brick, and weathered old houses sit in the shade of giant
oak and cedar trees.
Clarksville is actually one of the oldest cities
in Texas. It came into being in 1837, but was already an established
settlement in the 1820s. However, because of confusing boundary lines
carved out of the Louisiana Purchase, surveyors placed it in Miller
County, Arkansas. After independence, the U.S. government ceded the
area to the Texas
Republic. Seems only fair, since Red
River County citizen Albert Latimer was one of the signers of
the Texas Declaration of Independence. Another influential figure
to come out of Clarksville was Charles
DeMorse. He began publishing The
Northern Standard, one of the Republic's first newspapers, in
1842. A true confederate, he changed the name of the paper to simply
The Standard when he believed the Union got too pushy.
Clarksville also has the distinction of being one of the only towns
in the state that never suffered through a fire.
Consequently, the courthouse
contains records from the beginning of the Republic until today. The
county clerk's office is always teeming with genealogy folks looking
for clues - including those studying their African
American roots. Names of the slaves that lived in the county from
the earliest times can be found in old probate records. |
 |
Clarksville
Today
Although it's loaded
with all this history, Clarksville doesn't have much to offer for
travelers, but hopefully that'll change soon. Rebecca Hale of the
Red River County Historical Society says that they plan to open several
museums. Right now, all they have is a small, private museum above
an antique shop that isn't always open, and an old drug store that
they converted into a tourism information center. They've already
received two grants: one to restore the old courthouse,
the other to create a museum out of the antebellum Charles
DeMorse house. In early 2003, they cleaned up downtown when Anita
Perry visited to officially designate Clarksville a "Texas Main Street
City." I recommend a visit to Clarksville to any serious Texas history
buff - or practically anyone who likes to look at towns and muse "what
used to be, what could've been, what will happen now." It's a fine
old town with a slow southern pace that'll make anyone feel right
at home.
© Robin
Jett, July 2003 |
Clarksville,
Texas
Landmarks & Attractionts
|
Clarksville
Vintage Photos
|
Clarksville,
Texas. Home of Long Staple Cotton
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Clarksville,
Texas. Home of Long Staple Cotton
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
More Texas Cotton |
Clarksville
High School
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
More Texas
Schoolhouses |
Clarksville
Red River National Bank
Postcard
courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/
More Texas Banks |
People
Colonel
Charles DeMorse and The Standard by Bob Bowman
Anyone who has read a history of Texas in the 1800s will find many
references to the Clarksville Standard, which DeMorse founded as
the Northern Standard in 1842. It was one of Texas' foremost newspapers,
largely because DeMorse not only recorded Texas history; he was
one of the principal makers of it.
An
Orphan’s Gift by Bob Bowman
"Standing atop Mount Locke in the Big Bend area, McDonald Observatory
is far removed from East Texas, but without the interest and generosity
of an orphaned Confederate soldier from Clarksville, the world-famous
astronomy center might not exist today. William McDonald ..."
|
Robin
Jett publishes Red River Historian, a newsletter about
the history of the Red River Valley - both Texas and Oklahoma. She
can be reached at robin@redriverhistorian.com
Clarksville Tourist Information
Clarksville Chamber of Commerce
- 903-427-2645 |
TE Photo |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
