|
Longview street
scene
TE photo, 2002 |
by Bob Bowman
Excerpted from "THE EAST TEXAS SUNDAY DRIVE BOOK"
Begin at in downtown Longview with the excellent Gregg
County Historical Museum at the corner of Fredonia and Bank streets.
The museum's exhibits illustrate the development of Gregg
County from the days of the Caddo Indians and will prepare you
for the rest of your Sunday Drive.
Longview itself was carved out of the pine forests in l870 when railroad
engineers surveyed a 50-acre tract deeded to the Southern Pacific
Railroad by O.H. Methvin. From the crest of Capps Hill, the surveyors,
looking into the distance to the south, remarked what a "long view"
there was from the hill. Longview was made the county seat of newly-created
Gregg County in
l871.
Leaving the museum, you'll want to spend some time walking the streets
of downtown Longview, where many of the city's oldest buildings are
being preserved as the result of a strong historical movement in the
community.
Be sure to see the historical marker to the last raid of the Dalton
Gang at 200 North Fredonia. Here, at the First National Bank,
a bloody gunfight resulted in three deaths when the Dalton
Gang robbed the bank. The
robbery resulted in the ultimate capture of the gang, ending its
reign of crime and violence.
The Gregg County
Courthouse is also in downtown Longview. Here is a statue to General
John Gregg, a general in the Confederate Army. |
Other
Longview places of interest include:
The Campbell
Honeymoon Home, located at 521 North Second Street. This was
the home of Texas Governor Thomas Mitchell Campbell when he married
Fannie Bruner while working as a clerk in the Gregg County courthouse
in l878.
The Stagecoach
Stop Museum at 322 Teague, one of the few remaining homes from
Earpville, the forerunner of Longview. The building dates from the
early l860s.
The Brown-Birdsong
home at 104 West Whaley Street. This Victorian home was built
in l879 by an early settler, B.W. Brown, a Methodist lay minister.
Brown helped create Gregg County.
(Post Office
Mural - The post office has a 1942 "WPA" mural: Texas Farm Scene
by Thomas Stell. - Editor.)
From Longview,
head east on U.S. 80. You'll pass through Hallsville
while traveling a scenic route characterized by meadows, ranches,
and turn-of-the-century buildings ...
more
[See Longview
& Marshall: A Metropolitan Sunday Drive] |
Longview, Texas
Landmarks / Attractions
|
The
Gregg County Historical Museum:
Located in the handsome and historic Everett Building at 214
North Fredonia Street. This was originally the Citizens National Bank.
Many exhibits deal with the everyday life of early residents, and
many showcase the various industries that molded the economy of the
region. Included are artifacts from an 1894 bank robbery involving
the Dalton Gang. 10:00 to 4:00 Tuesday through Saturday. Closed on
Sunday, Monday, and major holidays. Admission is $2.00 for adults,
$1.00 for students and senior citizens (65 and older). |
The
Gregg County Historical Museum
The Everett Building in Longview
TE photo,
2002
More Texas Museums |
Everett
Building historical marker
TE photo |
| Photo
courtesy Maryanne Gobble, December 2010 |
| Photo
courtesy Maryann Gobble |
Speer
Chapel
Formerly Harmon General Hospital Chapel
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark |
| Photo
courtesy Maryann Gobble, December 2010 |
Pine Tree Cumberland
Presbyterian Church
1850 Pine Tree Rd. (FM 1845)
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, June 2011 |
The K of P Lodge
in Longview
TE photo,
2002
More Texas Lodges |
The
K of P Lodge in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
A cast iron
building in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
Cast iron building
detail
TE photo 2002 |
Union Iron and
Foundry Co. St. Louis
Cast iron building detail
TE photo 2002
See Texas
Architecture |
Municipal Building
TE photo 2002 |
Longview Event
One of Longview's most popular events is the mid-July Great Balloon
Race. |
| First
Grade 1944 Photo courtesy Jesse Suttles |
Longview
Tourist Information
The Longview Convention & Visitor's Bureau
410 N. Center Street. 903-753-3281.
http://www.longviewtx.com/
Book Hotel Here › Longview
Hotels |
Longview, Texas
Forum
About
Longview
When I was five years old, my family moved to Longview from Houston.
My dad took a job as an engineer with R.G. LeTourneau, designing
offshore drilling platforms. We moved into a pink house on Idylwood
Drive and lived there until I was ten. The things that still come
to mind about that time in Longview was in the summer, the streets,
which were an oil/tar base were plowed up with huge tractor like
vehicles. The smell of the tar was pervasive for weeks after they
did that. As a young boy, I went barefoot in the summer and walking
on the streets in Longview caused the bottoms of my feet to become
black, like the tarred streets.... more
- Mike Campbell, Hong Kong, December 01, 2006
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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