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LONGVIEW,
TEXAS
Gregg County Seat,
East Texas
Junction of Hwy 80 & Hwy 259
40 miles E of Tyler
125 miles E of Dallas
Population: 73,344 (2000)
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Longview
street scene
TE photo, 2002 |
Excerpted
from "THE EAST TEXAS SUNDAY DRIVE BOOK"
Longview
& Marshall: A metropolitan Sunday Drive
by Bob Bowman
Begin
at in downtown Longview with the excellent Gregg
County Historical Museum at the corner of Fredonia and Bank streets.
The museum's exhibits illustrate the development of Gregg County from
the days of the Caddo Indians and will prepare you for the rest of
your Sunday Drive.
Longview itself was carved out of the pine forests in l870 when railroad
engineers surveyed a 50-acre tract deeded to the Southern Pacific
Railroad by O.H. Methvin. From the crest of Capps Hill, the surveyors,
looking into the distance to the south, remarked what a "long view"
there was from the hill. Longview was made the county seat of newly-created
Gregg County in l871.
Leaving the museum, you'll want to spend some time walking the streets
of downtown Longview, where many of the city's oldest buildings
are being preserved as the result of a strong historical movement
in the community.
Be sure to see the historical marker to the last raid of the Dalton
Gang at 200 North Fredonia. Here, at the First National Bank, a bloody
gunfight resulted in three deaths when the Dalton
Gang robbed the bank. The
robbery resulted in the ultimate capture of the gang, ending its
reign of crime and violence.
The Gregg
County Courthouse is also in downtown Longview. Here is a
statue to General John Gregg, a general in the Confederate Army.
Other Longview
places of interest include:
- The Campbell
Honeymoon Home,
located at 521 North Second Street. This was the home of Texas
Governor Thomas Mitchell Campbell when he married Fannie Bruner
while working as a clerk in the Gregg County courthouse in l878.
- The Stagecoach
Stop Museum
at 322 Teague, one of the few remaining homes from Earpville,
the forerunner of Longview. The building dates from the early
l860s.
- The Brown-Birdsong
home
at 104 West Whaley Street. This Victorian home was built in l879
by an early settler, B.W. Brown, a Methodist lay minister. Brown
helped create Gregg County.
From Longview,
head east on U.S. 80. You'll pass through Hallsville while
traveling a scenic route characterized by meadows, ranches, and turn-of-the-century
buildings. Hallsville dates back to l839 when W.C. Crawford built
a fort as protection against Indians. The town was named for pioneer
Elijah Hall in l870 when the railroad arrived. ... more
Longview
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The
Gregg County Historical Museum:
Located in the handsome and historic Everett Building at 214
North Frederick Street. This was originally the Citizens National
Bank. Many exhibits deal with the everyday life of early residents,
and many showcase the various industries that molded the economy of
the region. Included are artifacts from an 1894 bank robbery involving
the Dalton Gang. 10:00 to 4:00 Tuesday through Saturday. Sundays by
appointment (2 days notice).
Longview
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The Gregg County Historical Museum
The Everett Building in Longview
TE photo, 2002
More Texas Museums |
Everett Building historical marker
TE photo |
The K of P Lodge in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
The K of P Lodge in Longview
TE photo, 2002
More Texas Lodges |
The
Post Office has a "WPA" mural. (1942) Texas Farm Scene by Thomas
Stell.
Longview Event - One of Longview's most popular events is the
mid-July Great Balloon Race.
Nearby Destinations
Brandy Branch
Reservoir - On Brandy Branch Creek in Harrison County, 10 miles
east of Longview
Lake O'
the Pines
- 25 miles northeast of Longview
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/lakes/lop/lake_id.htm
Marshall
- Hwy 80 East 23 miles.
See Longview
and Marshall, East Texas Sunday Drives
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A cast
iron building in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
Cast
iron building detail
TE photo 2002 |
Union
Iron and Foundry Co. St. Louis
Cast iron building detail
TE photo 2002 |
Municipal
Building
TE photo 2002 |
Longview
Tourist Information
The
Longview Convention & Visitor's Bureau
410 N. Center Street. 903-753-3281.
http://www.longviewtx.com/ |
Longview
Texas Forum
About
Longview
When I was five years old, my family moved to Longview from
Houston. My dad took a job as an engineer with R.G. LeTourneau,
designing offshore drilling platforms. We moved into a pink house
on Idylwood Drive and lived there until I was ten. The things that
still come to mind about that time in Longview was in the summer,
the streets, which were an oil/tar base were plowed up with huge
tractor like vehicles. The smell of the tar was pervasive for weeks
after they did that. As a young boy, I went barefoot in the summer
and walking on the streets in Longview caused the bottoms of my
feet to become black, like the tarred streets.... more
- Mike Campbell, Hong Kong, December 01, 2006
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