Jefferson in Marion County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Jefferson

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

1. Jefferson Marker

Inscription.
Home to the Caddo Indians for centuries, this area of Texas attracted Anglo-American colonists to settle here in the early 1800s. Founded in 1839, Jefferson developed along a double-grid pattern. Daniel Nelson Alley platted the townsite in a true North-South and East-West pattern, while Allen Urquhart drew a plan with streets leading diagonally to and from Big Cypress Bayou.

Jefferson was a center of commerce and an important shipping point on the Red River system. Riverboats arrived at the wharves daily, making it a major inland port of entry for Texas pioneers. It was the seat of Cass County from 1846 to 1852, and was named seat of the new county of Marion in 1860.

During the Civil War Jefferson served as a major supply center for the Confederacy. The late 1860s saw the imposition of martial law by Federal Reconstruction troops, and a devastating fire in 1868 destroyed much of the central business district.

Destruction of a massive logjam on the Red River in November 1873 diverted the river’s flow and lowered the water in Big Cypress Bayou. The decline of Jefferson’s economy due to the loss of its port continued until 20th-century tourism began to revive the town.

Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 8053.)

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 32° 43.629′ N, 94° 21.006′ W. Marker is in Jefferson, Texas, in Marion County. Marker is at the intersection of U.S. 59 and Farm to Market Road 2208, on the right when traveling north on U.S. 59. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jefferson TX 75657, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park (approx. ¾ mile away); Trammel's Trace (approx. ¾ mile away); Stilley-Young House (approx. 1.9 miles away); Early Jefferson Lodge Building (approx. 2 miles away); Christ Episcopal Church (approx. 2 miles away); Old Federal Court and Post Office Building (approx. 2 miles away); Brown-Bender House (approx. 2 miles away); Mergenthaler Linotype Typesetting Machine (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jefferson.

Also see . . .
1. Jefferson Texas History. City website entry:
Jefferson became a port of entry into the Republic of Texas and then the State of Texas. It was

Jefferson Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

2. Jefferson Marker (wide view)

also a major shipping port for those who wished to sell agricultural products, especially cotton. Cotton was brought to Jefferson from as far away as Dallas by ox wagon and then sold in Jefferson through receiving, forwarding, and commission merchants to markets in New Orleans and St. Louis. Many of the immigrants who came to Jefferson stayed and built homes and shops here. (Submitted on December 4, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Jefferson, Texas. Handbook of Texas website entry:
Jefferson, the county seat of Marion County, was named for Thomas Jefferson when it was founded in the early 1840s by Allen Urquhart and Daniel Alley. In the late 1830s Urquhart, who immigrated to Texas from North Carolina, received a headright on a bend in the creek; he laid out a townsite there around 1842. At about the same time Alley obtained a 586-acre parcel adjacent to Urquhart's survey and laid out additional streets that became known as Alley's Addition. (Submitted on December 4, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Historic Jefferson Railway. Wikipedia entry:
The Historic Jefferson Railway (aka Jefferson and Cypress Bayou Railway) is a narrow gauge railroad in Jefferson, Texas. It is an insular line that follows the Big Cypress Bayou for approximately three miles. Passengers are able to view the location of the first artificial gas plant in the state

Railroad Trestle over Big Cypress Bayou - Welcome to Jefferson image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

3. Railroad Trestle over Big Cypress Bayou - Welcome to Jefferson

of Texas, the location of a sawmill and remnants of a blast furnace, and one of only a few remaining Confederate powder magazines from the 1860s. The powder magazine, Jefferson Ordnance Magazine, is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. (Submitted on December 5, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Dr. A. J. Woods Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

4. Dr. A. J. Woods Building

Excelsior House image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

5. Excelsior House

Jefferson General Store image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

6. Jefferson General Store

Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 502 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 3, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 4, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.