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PARIS, TEXAS
Crepe Myrtle
Capital of Texas
Lamar
County Seat, Central
Texas North
33° 39' 45.03" N, 95° 32' 51.69" W (33.662508, -95.547692)
U.S. 82 & U.S. 271
103 miles NE of Dallas
50 miles NE of Greenville
15 miles E of Honey Grove
30 miles E of Bonham
ZIP codes 75460-75462
Area code 903/430
Population: 24,171 (2020)
25,171 (2010) 25,898 (2000) 24,799 (1990)
Book Hotel Here › Paris
Hotels |
Paris, Texas
Eiffel Tower
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, 2005 |
"The
Second Biggest Paris in the World" is the current slogan for this
County Seat. We say current, because you never can tell about France
(or Arkansas either).
Historical Marker (on 200 block NW 3rd St.):
Paris
This site marks the first call for survey of the city of Paris, Republic
of Texas, 1844. Geo. W. Wright, early settler, soldier in Texas War
for Independence, congressman of the Republic, donated 50 acres of
land for Lamar County
Seat. Plat of lots, blocks and streets was drawn, and from that beginning
grew the present city. |
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Birds eye view
of Paris, Texas in 1885
Click on image to enlarge
Photo By Henry Wellge (1850-1917) -
http://www.birdseyeviews.org
https://commons.wikimedia.org
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The Paris Fire of 1916
Paris also holds third place in a category no town wants to be in.
After The Chicago Fire and The San Francisco Earthquake
Fire, comes The Paris Fire of 1916. This devastating fire
resulted in the entire downtown having to be rebuilt, including the
courthouse. The beautiful Culbertson Fountain in the Plaza was given
to commemorate the rebirth of Paris.
(See America's
Third Largest Fire by Mike Cox
John Cross had the day off that afternoon, March 21, 1916... About
a mile from downtown Paris, a thriving North Texas city of 12,000-plus,
Cross heard the Central Station fire bell... more) |
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America's
Third Largest Fire by Mike Cox
John Cross had the day off that afternoon, March 21, 1916... About
a mile from downtown Paris, a thriving North Texas city of 12,000-plus,
Cross heard the Central Station fire bell...
William
McDonald - 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...
Woman's
Christian Temperance Union by Archie P. McDonald
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was misnamed: “temperance”
means “moderation...avoiding extremes.” What the WCTU really wanted
was total abstinence from all alcohol beverages... The first chapter
of the WCTU, and then a state organization, were established in
Paris in 1882...
Naked
Lawyers in Paris, Texas by Mike Cox
People
Country
Legend Gene Watson by Bob Bowman
Someone once asked country singing legend Ray Price to name his
favorite singers. Price paused a minute and finally said, “I have
too many to name, but Gene Watson would be right at the top.” But
Watson--who was born in Palestine and raised in Paris--is such a
low-keyed individual that he considers singing “just something I
like to do,” like working on cars in his shop....
The Judgement of Paris
Texas Escapes wants to thank Judge Moree for his time and directions.
We arrived after the Chamber had closed, but were fortunate to be
photographing the Courthouse when Mr. Moree emerged (well after
5 pm). The Judge told us that as a boy, his family had unearthed
a trove of crockery and bottles in their front yard while transplanting
a rose bush. He owns a pocketknife engraved from a Paris Hardware
Store that burned in the fire. Judge Moree, who has been known to
hunt Turkey in Coleman County, has said he wouldn't consider living
anywhere else but Paris. That's his final decision.
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Paris, Texas
Landmarks/Attractions
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Paris town
square
Photo courtesy Holly Gibson, April 2015
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The
architecture of Paris is a direct result of the fire. Sturdy, elegant
buildings with style replaced the wooden and stone structures that
burned. Worthy of note are the R.F. Scott Building on the NE Corner
of the Square and the Plaza Theater as well as several former Banks.
Paris is also the official Crepe Myrtle Capital of Texas. A visit
in July or August is unforgettable and raises the question: why don't
other towns and cities use this cost effective and long-lasting beautification
plan? Crepe Myrtles are nearly pest-free, available in an array of
colors and inexpensive. |
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Lamar
County Courthouse
The
Gibraltar Hotel
"The Gibraltar Hotel was once Paris’ shining glory...."
- Robin Jett more
The Wise House
"One of Paris’ most beautiful buildings is the 1889 Wise House.
Three stories tall, built with sturdy red brick, and decorated with
ornate Queen Anne style scrollwork, it once served as the home of
W.B. Wise and his family. Though not even a mile from downtown,
the house sat surrounded by countryside. Wise built a lake with
a picnic island behind the house, which he allowed most Parisians
to use. Today, the lake has become the Wise baseball field. Because
Wise had the house built west of the fancy Cherry Street district,
it escaped the 1916 fire undamaged, and even the old carriage houses
still stand." - © Robin Jett
The Santa Fe-Frisco-Kiamichi
Depot (AKA Bonham St. Station) is being restored, but it is in use
as the arrival point for the Hugo Heritage Railroad excursion train
which arrives from Hugo every third Saturday. Paris is one of three
destinations offered by the railroad, the others being Antlers and
Ft. Towson, Oklahoma. Their schedule is available at their website:
www.hugoheritagerr.ohgolly.com.
Sam
Bell Maxey House
Camp
Maxey
Evergreen
Cemetery and "Jesus in Cowboy Boots"
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The Culbertson
Fountain
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, 2005 |
The Culbertson
Fountain:
You needn't look too hard for this. In the square. Mr.Culbertson,
one of Paris' wealthier citizens and philanthropists, has a notable
mausoleum in Evergreen
Cemetery. His house once stood where the Paris Library is now
(facing Bywaters Park). It was dynamited in hopes of containing
the spreading fire. Mr. Culbertson built elsewhere and gave the
city the Library as well as the lot.
The First
Presbyterian Church
"The oldest church in Paris derives from one of the earliest
Protestant congregations in Texas – the First Presbyterian Church
at 410 W. Kaufman. While the structure that stands today dates from
1892, the land was used as early as 1861, and is said to have come
from the Presbyterian congregation in Clarksville,
which had its start in the
1830s." - © Robin Jett
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The First Presbyterian
Church
Photos courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2006 |
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Plaza
Theatre in 2000
TE Photo |
Sunset
Photo courtesy Holly Gibson, April 2015 |
Owl
Photo courtesy Holly Gibson, April 2015 |
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R.F.
Scott Building in Paris
TE Photo, 6-2000 |
Paris Tourist
Information
The Paris
Visitor's and Convention Council has an 88 page Visitors Guide/Membership
Directory that is a lot nicer than some books you pay for. A map
is right in the middle on pages 44 & 45. Included in the booklet
are Lamar County Cities of Blossom, Deport, Reno
and Roxton.
They also have a nice county/city map that is not in a booklet.
Contact them at 1651 Clarksville Street, or call them at 903-784-2501
or 800-PARISTX.
Paris is getting a lot of attention lately, being voted "Best Public
Plaza" by Texas Monthly and "Best Pit Stop" by a Cross-country Auto
Race.
Paris
Hotels › Book Here
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Paris' newest
watertower
2004 photo
courtesy of Herb Campbell, Paris
More Texas
Water Towers |
Paris' first
water tower
1923 photo courtesy of Herb Campbell, Paris |
Paris,
Texas Forum
I'm from Paris,
Texas. Well I was born there, but my formative years were spent
on the outskirts of Paris in Taylor
Town. Down the street was Glory,
Texas. My family had an old general store in Taylor Town called
Gordon Mart (now closed)...now all that is left is a cemetery where
a few of my relatives are buried.
Glory is less
than a mile from the Taylor
Town area and I think all that is left there are houses and
a church my grandfather attends.
These two towns were an important part in my family heritage, and
to have them added to your site would mean the world to me. I don't
want them to be lost forever. Thank you. - Heather Gordon, December
29, 2004
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Lamar
County 1920s map
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| 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. |
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