Jefferies Wagon Yard

Jefferies Wagon Yard. . Since the 1840 founding of Lamar County, the two acres north of the present-day Lamar County Courthouse have been used for residences, grist mill operations, retail and professional businesses and as a vehicle parking lot, first for wagons and later for automobiles. Located on City Block 41, the site is roughly bounded by West Price, NW 1st, Graham, and N. Main Streets. , In 1866, Lee Anderson (1839-1915) purchased the north end of Block 41. By 1892, the Red River Wagon Yard was located on Anderson's land, west of his blacksmith shop and home. , By 1893-94,the I.X.L. Wagon Yard was established at the south end of Block 41. In 1902, Prentice D. “P.D.” Jefferies (1870-1963) and his younger brother Toomey J. Jefferies (1874-1957), took over operation of the I.X.L. and expanded it north into Anderson's property. P.D. Jefferies purchased Anderson's property in 1915-16. By 1921, his operation had been divided into two wagon yards, the I.X.L. and the Jefferies Wagon Yard. The I.X.L. wagon yard no longer existed by 1929. , People from all over the area traveled to Paris to buy, sell and trade goods on the square and conduct business at the courthouse. Because it was located nearby, the wagon yard on Block 41 became a popular place for visitors to park and camp. , The wagon yard transformed into Jefferies Automobile Parking Lot, a family enterprise until 1968. Block 41 evolved, but a small portion was used as a municipal lot until the county purchased it in 1984. The Lamar County Courthouse restoration project enlarged the parking lot in 2005. In 2008, the county purchased the north part of Block 41, giving it sole possession of the entire block, the first time the block had been owned by a single entity since 1852.