Jefferson and Lone Star Texas

Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm).

JEFFERSON, TEXAS: One of the early settlers in these parts was Captain William Perry, owner/builder of the Excelsior Hotel. What's a navy captain doing in Texas? Seems this city held the distinction of being the only dependable port in North Texas. Today it is home to the Texas History Museum. From Jefferson you're just a stones throw from Lake O the Pines (last photo).

MONEY, MAPS AND A MOTELY CREW
Story & Photos by IRA KENNEDY

I think Ms. Intrepid slipped one in on me by stopping at Jefferson.
I remember, when I was checking Uncertain on the Internet,
Ms. Intrepid was checking out another city which looked real familiar
as we entered downtown Jefferson.

Jefferson is the Fredericksburg of East Texas. Prettier in some ways. It's one of those red brick street towns with an old -timey horse-drawn buggy, groomed and polished and waiting for tourists. Everything here looks historic, even their ATM machines.

o we stopped, while I took so many pictures they all started looking alike. Then I walked across the street and took some pictures looking back the other way. Then I got back in Nigel the Land Rover and we repeated the event somewhere up the street.
       I didn't see everything, but I hear tell that if you're not the horse and buggy type you can catch a ride on a mule-drawn wagon. Or if you need Jefferson Carraige wheels under you, they have bicycles built for two.
       I can't comprehend the attraction because, the way I see it, when you ride on one of these contraptions you become the attraction. And when I'm exploring a new place I'd rather it didn't stare back.
       We prowled around a bit in Nigel the Land Rover. Then, right at the end of a street was a massive two-story brick building that had a nearly wore out mural covering one entire end. By chance we stumbled upon a money and map museum properly known as the Museum of Texas History.
Texas Bar Money        One quick tour through their extensive exhibit of early Texas currency and you'll come away with the notion that anyone with a printing press in cahoots with a bank or a bar could go into the treasury business. Some of these bills may not have been worth the paper they were printed on back then on but they sure were pretty. Nowadays their worth far exceeds their face value. A lesson for future reference: Hold on to worthless money. Its antiqueable.
       Now, I can't speak for all men, but I love maps. Not necessarily the ones that have every thing -- well -- all mapped out, so you know exactly where things are; but old maps that show where things used to be, or where someone thought some place ought to be, hold my interest.
       Mostly you're talking about maps made by men who were lost and decided to make a map of the place and give everything names to suit themselves. Then when everyone who followed got lost in the same places they could point to the map and say, "I think we're right about here..."
      One of my favorite maps was "compiled" from other maps for Stephen F. Austin in 1830. He had never even seen most of the places on his map. That didn't matter cause somebody had. However, he did add a personal touch. Austin put "Silver Mines" on the map right near his colony. The mines weren't there but that didn't matter. This was a Texas land deal and Austin had to offer settlers a more compelling reason to move in than certain death at the hands of the entire Comanche Nation.
       As luck would have it, the museum was selling portfolios with 19 old maps and a 66-page User's Guide all for about $65. I bought that and a magazine on Early Texas Currency (about $6) and headed for the door before I left all of my money to the museum.
       Leaving Jefferson we continued on to Lone Star stopping along the way so I could get a few pictures of Lake O the Pines before nightfall.
       Arriving in Lone Star we passed the local bank advertising free checking and overdraft privileges -- sounds like my kind of place. We passed a General Dollar store and a Family Dollar store (why they always pair up remains one of life's pointless mysteries). But does Lone Star have Lone Star t-shirts? No. Do they have a motel? No. Do they have churches? Yes. Yes Yes.
       Not finding what we were looking for, not even an inviting neon Beer sign, we headed on up to Dangerfield scouting for a motel. We located one right off and pulled in, then back out again.
       You see, there was a motley crew hanging around outside drinking beer and such, and it being a Friday night and all you can't blame 'em. Normally I ain't put off by a few rowdy-looking boys, but this bunch looked like they just knocked of a convenience store and was expecting the law at any moment.
       Then we followed a sign to a "lakeside motel". Before we laid eyes on the establishment I told Ms. Intrepid that I was willing to go as high as $65 a night. (I reckon I was getting kinda mental considering how I loose I was getting with money.)
       Suddenly, there it was. Four or five cinderblock units all stuck together with neatly arraigned lawn chairs rusting away out front. There wasn't a soul in sight. Turning around we saw the proprietors lodging with a fairly sizeable collection of clutter arraigned all random, like the way young'uns leave toys after play. Ten dollars a night woulda been top dollar in my book.
       We were only a few hours from a motel we knew was decent, so it was back to Nacogdoches for the night.

PAGE 1: DESTINATION UNCERTAIN / PAGE 2: UNCERTAIN AGAIN
PAGE 3: CADDO LAKE / PAGE 4: JEFFERSON & LONE STAR
PAGE 5: DAVY CROCKETT NAT. FOREST / THE MAP / 3-D PHOTOS

BOOKMARK THIS SITE
TYPE CTRL-D NOW

Texas Hill Country Wine: Torrie de Pietra Vineyards and Winery near Fredericksburg Texas