Once the Texas Port of Entry
Jefferson Stands as a Monument to its Past
by Marilyn Loeser
 Driving into
Jefferson, Texas, it’s easy to imagine a time when this pristine community
was a bustling port — big riverboats, big shipments, big money. Everywhere
there are ornate mansions surrounded by vast lawns. Along Austin Street,
store fronts are trimmed in New Orleans’ style wrought iron and tourists
casually walk in and out of antique shops and historic hotels.
All that’s missing is the commotion of a big commercial
city.
So what brought such prosperity to this little corner
of Northeast Texas and where did it go?
Although there are many ways to figure out the mystery
— from asking a storekeeper to the museum curator, my daughter and I decided
to start with the Big Cypress Bayou and Turning Basin Riverboat Tours.
 This
side of the bayou is the “other side” of the Jefferson coin. Entering a tiny
house built in the shotgun style, we found John Nance — proprietor and
riverboat captain.
 John has a gift of
gab and endless stories about growing up in Jefferson, its historic roots
and place in American history. Starting with his little house, he explained
the road in front of the house was once a major throughway lined with
businesses. “After the flood of 1945, all the buildings on this side of the
bayou were gone,” he said. “Lige Albright built the house just above the
flood-mark. He had a nice little business selling fish he caught in the
bayou.”
 Trolling
along the muddy looking waterway, John talked about the massive riverboats
that plied the waters from New Orleans in the mid-1800s, making Jefferson
the port of entry into the Republic of Texas and then the State of Texas.
Jefferson also was a shipping port for agricultural
products. 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.
 Passing around
photos of the riverboats, it’s hard to imagine they ever made their way this
far inland — for good reason. “In 1873, when the Army Corps of Engineers
removed the Great Raft from the Red River above Shreveport, the water level
fell and navigation to Jefferson became impossible,” John explained.
The Great Raft was a gigantic logjam that clogged the
Red and Atchafalaya Rivers and was unique to North America. At its peak
length, it stretched more than 160 miles in the early 1830s.
 Add
to this the railroad expansion across Texas during the same timeframe and
the town’s prosperity as a port city and commercial center ended. Although
the population shrank from 45,000 in the 19th-century to its present 2,200,
most of the homes and buildings from this time still remain.
 John points out
turtles lazily sunning on the river’s banks and talks about Jefferson’s role
in the Civil War. The port was important to the Confederacy as a supplier of
meat, hides, food staples, iron, monitions and leather goods.
The years after the Civil War became Jefferson's
heyday. In 1872, there were thousands of exports including tons of wool,
pelts, cattle and sheep, and more than 100,000 feet of lumber.
More Jefferson Lore
 After our journey along the bayou, we went back into
the business district. Jefferson is the Marion County Seat. The county is
named for Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War patriot who was known as the
"Swamp Fox." Jefferson was named for Thomas Jefferson. (place book store
photo here)
 During lunch at
Auntie Skinner’s Riverboat Club, wall-sized images of the great steamboats
framed my view of the busy restaurant, a constant reminder of Jefferson's
Golden Era — 1845 until 1875.
 A
great way to see the sites, relax and better understand some of the
significant homes and businesses in town is by taking a carriage ride or
mule wagon tour.
 Drivers love to tell
of their community and its many legends. Make sure and ask that they point
out some of the homes open for tour.
 The
House of the Seasons, for example, was built in 1872 during the glory days
of Jefferson. Colonel Benjamin H. Epperson, who built the house, was a
prominent lawyer, political leader, entrepreneur, and confidante of Sam
Houston.
Built during the transitional period between Greek
Revival and Victorian styles of architecture, one of its many notable
features is the cupola. Each wall contains a different colored stained glass
that creates the illusion of the seasons of the year.
The house is decorated to reflect the 1870s and many pieces of furniture are
original to the house.
 Another home open
for tour is the Singleton’s Virginia Cross Home, built in 1859.
The house is an excellent example of early Texas Greek
Revival architecture. Its name comes from the fact it was patterned after
18th Century Virginia houses of the cross plan — Virginia Cross.
The house is constructed of cypress, the exterior walls
are covered with cypress clapboards and all of the floors are original made
of heart pine. In keeping with the 1860 to 1885 time period, the home is
completely furnished with American empire and Renaissance Revival antique
furniture and accessories.
Because this is an exceptional example of antebellum
architecture, it is a recorded Texas Historic Landmark, is on the National
Register of Historic Places and is recorded in the Historic American
Building Survey in the Library of Congress.
 The
Excelsior House, although a hotel, is another stop you’ll want to make.
Welcoming travelers since the late 1850's, the hotel offers tours at 2 p.m.
daily along with Jay Gould's Private Rail Car located just across the
street.
Or, if you decide to spend the night in the hotel,
you’ll be joining the list of other notable guests including Ulysses S.
Grant, Oscar Wilde, Rutherford B. Hayes and Lady Bird Johnson.
If you go:
There’s a lot to do in this little community.
 From Scarlett O'Hardy's
"Gone with the Wind" Museum and house tour to the Jefferson historical
museum with its basement and three floors of exhibits dealing with the rich
history of this community, there’s enough to keep you busy for a weekend or
a week.
Add to this the Jefferson Historic Railway, locally
produced stage entertainment and excellent restaurants and you’ll discover
Jefferson has something for every member of your traveling party.
The best website for additional information and links
to specific attractions and entertainment is
www.jefferson-texas.com. | 