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I said in my last blog that the “grand plan” for April 29, 2010 would require the cooperation of the weather. The grand plan for that Thursday was to spend half a day at NY/TX Zip Line Adventures in (where else) New York TX and half a day at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens TX. We were happy to see the blue skies, but the zip line folks weren’t excited about the wind and canceled that part of the grand plan. Oh well, I’m sure there will be other opportunities to soar with the eagles. Onward to our second stop of the day. The fisheries center was not what I had expected, but what a treat it turned out to be! I had expected a guided tour through the operations of a fish hatchery. The tour was self-guided with numerous opportunities to examine various species of (mostly) mature fish through glass “windows” built into the sides of “natural” fishponds. Identification signage also gave information about the species. After we had finished looking at the various displays, the State of Texas provided us with a stocked catch-and-release pond as well as poles and bait so we could try our luck.
I learned a lot less than originally anticipated; however, neither of us was skunked, we had a lot of fun and ended up staying until they kicked us out at 5:00.
Friday morning we picked up and headed for Marshall TX to see a Civil War re-enactment. Neither of us ever had seen such an event. When we found this gathering, we made a slight adjustment to our plans and were looking forward to the opportunity. That is exactly what this adventure is about - roll with the flow! The short drive to the Country Pines RV Campground midway between Marshall and Jefferson allowed us to drive into Jefferson to talk to the visitors center staffers and to get our bearings for the events of the next day. Most participants already had arrived and were encamped in various places around town. We found several folks dressed in period attire as we walked about the historic downtown area. For many of the buffs gathered in Jefferson for the weekend, attending Civil War events and studying Civil War history as a way of life.
We discovered the Jefferson General Store - a true slice of nostalgia. It’s been some time
Jefferson General Store
Even Civil War re-enactors need goodiessince I’ve seen cloves gum, pick-up sticks, bubble gum cards and, yes, candy cigarettes. The soda fountain touts had-made soda floats (using real seltzer water), black cows and five-cent cups of coffee. The coffee was about the only bargain in the store, but what fun it was to look at the toys and favors we knew as children. Conversations with other middle-age shoppers were inevitable. Middle age, you say? I remember quite vividly when 60+ was soooooo old. During our wanderings, we happened upon Kitt’s Cornbread Sandwich and Pie Bar. Since we already had eaten, we decided Kitt’s would make a great adventure for lunch on Saturday.
We had been told that a parade of the re-enactors and others dressed for the occasion would kick off the festivities on Saturday morning and would be followed by a skirmish on the streets of Jefferson. While waiting for the parade to begin, we were treated to some good ‘ol bluegrass music. As I understand the history, the Battle of Jefferson never happened. Union troops were en route to burn Jefferson and several other nearby communities but were intercepted in Louisiana by Confederate forces. In the Civil War era, Jefferson was the
westernmost port serving Mississippi River steamboat traffic and was a major exporter of cotton and importer of war materials. The skirmish and the battle re-enactment are based on the hypothetical premise of “If the Union troops had not been stopped, …” Of course, the citizens of Jefferson are grateful their city was spared. After looking at the historic buildings, I am as well. Back to the skirmish. While the battle was beginning a couple of blocks away, we were treated to some comical bantering between city officials and the owner of a house of ill repute located across the street from the courthouse. By the end of the skirmish, however, the Union troops had prevailed and the mayor had surrendered. A very enjoyable morning.
By now it was time to set out for Kitt’s. There was a short wait but watching the people in hoop shirts, etc. was a treat. I decided to try an Original (turkey and Swiss cheese on jalapeno cornbread) and Kay had a Redneck (fried bologna and American cheese on broccoli cornbread). Of course, we traded halves! The food was great. The re-enactment didn’t begin until later in the afternoon, so we wandered around town
The Infantry Preparing For Battle
Civil War Re-enactment - Jefferson TX some more and checked out railroad tycoon Jay Gould's custom Pullman car. Gould reportedly had wanted to buy most of the city, tear it down and build a railroad yard close to the steamboat docks. When the townspeople refused, Gould placed a curse on the city. Later, Gould’s son made the same offer, got the same response and placed yet a second curse on Jefferson. Ghosts have a central theme in much of the folklore of Jefferson and its historic buildings.
We arrived at the re-enactment grounds early to stake out a front row vantage point. The re-enactment started with a boom and a boom. Cannons fired at either end of the field and a few seconds later ground charges that had been located opposite the cannons were detonated to simulate the impact explosion of the projectiles. After prepping the enemy for several minutes, the ground assault started. I’m looking forward to seeing a re-enactment of an actual battle so I can study the troop movements beforehand. I think that will enhance the experience. After the Confederacy surrendered (again), we drove back into Jefferson so we could attend a Saturday evening session of ghost stories at the Historic Jefferson
Railway depot and then a nighttime ride aboard the haunted train.
I guess seeing the Jefferson General Store whetted my nostalgic appetite and led us to Jefferson’s Old-Fashioned Hamburger Store - “home of the best pie in East Texas.” We found the restaurant walls about 80-90 percent covered with dollar bills autographed by the not so famous. The old-fashioned jalapeno cheeseburger was made to order and very good - especially after it was crowned with a piece of homemade apple-carmel-pecan pie. The pie menu is exotic and varies daily. We wandered around town to kill some time (and work off the pie), found a bench in front of the 1850’s Excelsior House Hotel and struck up a conversation with a visitor from Oklahoma. The old cowboy’s wife of 50+ years had died only several weeks ago, and he had a hankerin’ to talk and reminisce. Another very enjoyable thirty or so minutes. As the time for our ghoulish engagement approached, we walked down to the train depot. During the ghost stories, a weather front passed through and presented an awesome lightning display. The ride on the steel rails behind the propane-powered engine was canceled. Okay by me! By the
What More Does A Man Need?
Texas Country Music Hall Of Fame - Carthage TX time we returned to the Pilgrim, the thunder was off in the distance.
Sunday and Monday were planning days for what to see and where to stay when we cross into Arkansas next week and for working on text and pictures for the blog. Tuesday we ventured to nearby Carthage and Kilgore. Our first stop was the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter Museum. Both Tex and Jim Reeves were Carthage natives. Even until shortly before his untimely death, John Ritter had appeared regularly at fundraisers in Carthage. Being merely an enjoyer of country music but not an aficionado, I did not know of many of those honored; however, I found the history of those I did know quite interesting - Dale Evans, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller and others in addition to Tex Ritter and Jim Reeves. Our next stop in Carthage was the Historic Panola County Jail and Museum. We were “in luck” because two staffers were on duty that day. Our planned 20-30 minute stop became a guided tour and lasted between 60 and 90 minutes! What a sweet lady and, admittedly, she had some interesting stories.
Negotiating Muddy Streets
Extremely Wet Years Welcomed The Oil Boom - East Texas Oil Museum - Kilgore TX After a quick lunch stop at a Chinese buffet in Henderson TX, we arrived at the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore TX. This museum must be the crème de la crème of its ilk! The Central Texas Oil Patch Museum we visited in Luling TX on April 12, 2010 had more artifacts than the East Texas Oil Museum, but the East Texas folks had omitted most of the duplication and had identified almost all of the artifacts. Additionally, the East Texas Oil Museum had dioramas portraying life in East Texas during the oil boom - muddy streets, a country store, a newspaper, a machine shop, a bank, a barber shop, etc. - and had several multimedia presentations explaining oil geology and oil production. We even got to take “an elevator ride down to 3,800 feet below the surface” to look at the rock formations where the oil deposits are located. The quality of the museum was outstanding, and the two-hour visit was well worth the time. Our final stop of the day was at the World’s Richest Acre Park in Kilgore. In 1930, 24 producing wells owned by six different operators stood on this 1.195-acre site. Well-spacing rules soon
followed! At one point in the early 1930’s, there were over 1,100 oil derricks standing inside the Kilgore city limit. All but one derrick had been replaced with modern equipment by 1969; however, the historical preservation foundation began restoration of the skyline in the World’s Richest Acre Park in 1987. Interesting and worth thirty minutes of your time.
We still had a few things yet to see in the Marshall/Jefferson area before our Friday departure and Thursday was the day. We arrived in Marshall early enough to see the glow of the rising sun on the historic Panola County Courthouse but soon learned the sun would not be shining upon our curiosity. The literature boasts of the restoration effort at the courthouse, and we understood the interior would be available for inspection; but, alas, the building was secured. Strike one. Off to the local pottery works where the head potter throws some seventy pots in four hours. Since he has another job on the graveyard shift, his pottery hours are from 1 to 5 PM. Strike two. All still is not lost, for there is the restored railroad depot and museum. We arrived to find a few locals milling
about in the parking lot and learned there had been a thirteen-car derailment on Monday and the tracks had just been reopened. The depot had been a “near miss” but had been spared; however, an unfortunate nearby transformer had fallen victim to the wreck and power to the depot had not yet been restored. Fortunately, nobody had been hurt in the accident, but debris still littered the area behind the depot. Strike three.
On the way to Jefferson, we stopped at the RV park for lunch and then sought out the dock of the Jefferson Riverboat Tours. The one-hour history and nature tour meanders through the Big Cypress Bayou and Turning Basin. The turning basin was the last point on the Big Cypress where steamboats could turn around in preparation for the return trip to the Mississippi - thus the placement of the Port of Jefferson. Because of the dams constructed by the Corps of Engineers for flood control, the Big Cypress is only a trickle of its former self but still serves local anglers well and serves as a conduit for boaters venturing downstream to Caddo Lake. Very interesting history and insight into the strong effort by the
The Craft
Big Cypress Bayou and Turning Basin - Jefferson Riverboat Tours - Jefferson TX Confederacy to save Jefferson during the Civil War.
Our next stop was one of those “well, we’re here anyway so we might as well” stops - the “Gone With The Wind” Museum. I’ve never seen the movie from beginning to end and have never even slightly considered myself a GWTW fan, but this museum was interesting. I never really appreciated the popularity of the movie until I saw all the diverse types of collector paraphernalia - plates, movie posters, dolls, toys, books (in multitudes of languages), Christmas tree ornaments, doll houses, jigsaw puzzles, lunch boxes, greeting cards - the list goes on and on. I probably saw more GWTW stuff in thirty minutes than in the entire rest of my life. The owner has spent a tremendous amount of time, effort and money amassing this unique collection. Worth the time even in you have never heard of the movie.
Moving day on Friday, May 7, 2010 had an unhurried start because we were going only about 60 miles to Omaha TX where there is no hustle and bustle. In fact, our goal was four days of kicking back with no sightseeing temptations. A low tire on the Pilgrim
Quite A Variety of Exhibits
Gone With The Wind Museum - Jefferson TX caught my attention as I was readying for departure so I found a tire store in Hughes Springs TX, pulled in and told the 30ish manager of my plight. He immediately marshaled up an air hose and had me back on the road in about 20 minutes. That’s been typical of our experience in Texas. By the way, “No charge, sir.” We continued on to Daingerfield where we took US 259 on into Omaha. The Cajun Cowboy Motel & RV was easy to find and was just about as laid back as I had planned for our visit. When I asked which space I was to use, the lady told me to “use whichever one suits you.”
So far, we have had virtually zero down time. We’ve been very lucky to have festivals of some sort on the calendar for almost every weekend since we left Silver City NM and the weather has cooperated splendidly. Sure, the clouds kept us in suspense leading up to the star party in Ft. Davis and the rain-produced mud caused the chuck wagon races to be cancelled. There were a couple of days we decided to postpone our planned activities until later that
week and several nights found us being rocked to sleep by the winds buffeting the Pilgrim. After almost two months on the road, the weather has been extremely cooperative, but we're ready for some relaxation. There will be three days here in Omaha, and we will be leaving Texas for Arkansas - a week each in Hope, Hot Springs, Fort Smith and Van Buren (near Fayetteville).
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