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Clarksville
by
Robin Jett
I visit Clarksville
quite often, since my Grandmother used to run the store and post office
in the tiny Red River county settlement of Acworth, which is where
my parents live now. I've always loved Clarksville's Old South look
- kind of dilapidated but dignified. Most of the downtown streets
are still paved with brick, and weathered old houses sit in the shade
of giant oak and cedar trees
Clarksville is actually one of the oldest cities
in Texas. It came into being in 1837, but was already an established
settlement in the 1820s. However, because of confusing boundary lines
carved out of the Louisiana Purchase, surveyors placed it in Miller
County, Arkansas. After independence, the U.S. government ceded the
area to the Texas Republic. Seems only fair, since Red River County
citizen Albert Latimer was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration
of Independence. Another influential figure to come out of Clarksville
was Charles
DeMorse. He began publishing The
Northern Standard, one of the Republic's first newspapers, in
1842. A true confederate, he changed the name of the paper to simply
The Standard when he believed the Union got too pushy.
Clarksville also has the distinction of being one of the only towns
in the state that never suffered through a fire.
Consequently, the courthouse
contains records from the beginning of the Republic until today. The
county clerk's office is always teeming with genealogy folks looking
for clues - including those studying their African
American roots. Names of the slaves that lived in the county from
the earliest times can be found in old probate records. |
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Pages's
Tree
Clarksville's old hanging tree inside the city cemetery.
Photos
courtesy Robin Jett |
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Clarksville
Today
Although it's
loaded with all this history, Clarksville doesn't have much to offer
for travelers, but hopefully that'll change soon. Rebecca Hale of
the Red River County Historical Society says that they plan to open
several museums. Right now, all they have is a small, private museum
above an antique shop that isn't always open, and an old drug store
that they converted into a tourism information center. They've already
received two grants: one to restore the old courthouse,
the other to create a museum out of the antebellum Charles
DeMorse house. In early 2003, they cleaned up downtown when Anita
Perry visited to officially designate Clarksville a "Texas Main Street
City." I recommend a visit to Clarksville to any serious Texas history
buff - or practically anyone who likes to look at towns and muse "what
used to be, what could've been, what will happen now." It's a fine
old town with a slow southern pace that'll make anyone feel right
at home.
© Robin Jett, July 2003
Robin
Jett publishes Red River Historian, a newsletter about the history
of the Red River Valley - both Texas and Oklahoma. She can be reached
at robin@redriverhistorian.com
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Confederate
monument in Clarksville
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2006 |
People
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 from Clarksville,
the world-famous astronomy center might not exist today. William McDonald
..." |
Nearby
Destination
Ghost town Jonesboro, north of
Clarksville, FM 410, near Kiomatia.
Clarksville Tourist Information, contact:
Clarksville Chamber of Commerce - 903-427-2645 |
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