A Road Trip to Paris

Last Friday, Dick and I got on the road fairly early and headed northeast to Paris, Texas.  We had heard about this place, actually named for the city in France, as an acknowledgment of the European heritage in this part of the state.

Traveling north out of the metroplex takes significantly less time than traveling south.

Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, founded in 1844, located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods.  It became a significant trade center because of its location and experienced rapid growth with the arrival of the railroad in 1876.  However, the city was greatly impacted by the Great Fire in 1916, which destroyed much of the downtown area, including businesses, churches, and some residential homes.

Today, the town is struggling, but there are a few signs of revitalization efforts.  So, let's visit the town of Paris, TX.

The hub of the town has always been its square, with a large fountain at its center, around which the major businesses were located.  The downtown district's streets are lined with a vast variety of architectural styles, ranging from Victorian to Italianate and Art Deco.

As most of the buildings around the square are empty or are now used for office space, perhaps the name of this closed business best describes the state of downtown Paris.

Following the Great Fire, the stately new Court House building was completed by November 1917, a block from the square, of fireproof concrete covered by rough pink granite salvaged from the 1897 building.

There are a couple of restaurants on the square that still draw a lunch crowd, though we were told that number is dwindling.  We ate at the Paris House and enjoyed our Asian food from the lunch menu.

Mine was Orange Chicken, and Dick had the Sesame Chicken; we both had enough to bring some home for evening leftovers.

We enjoyed riding around and seeing several of the churches with their historic architecture.

First United Methodist Church was built in 1922

First Baptist Church was dedicated in 1896

Inscription above the door

This Gothic Renaissance-style Catholic church was completed in 1919.

First Presbyterian Church was built 1892

Except for the Methodist Church, these are all next to each other on Church Street.  We also loved seeing many of the old homes that have been meticulously maintained, also on Church Street.

 

On a corner lot, also on Church St, was this huge home being renovated.  When I stopped to get a picture, I was able to talk to one of the workers and learned a bit of interesting history.

This was a home originally, built in 1908, then later sold and used as a funeral home.  It went through many structural changes before sitting in disrepair for several years.  It has recently been purchased and is being renovated to its original glory as a hotel and restaurant.  

I found this picture online and can only assume this may be what it will look like again when it's completed in a few years.

Perhaps the biggest drawing card to Paris, TX is its Eiffel Tower.  Out of town a bit, is a small replica of the original one in the town's namesake.  The Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX was built in 1993, and the red cowboy Stetson hat was added in 1998.

Next to the tower is a Veterans Memorial Monument

This family were true patriots and made the ultimate sacrifice dating back to the War of 1512.

We can only pray that the next granite column remains empty.

This park was very well done and an asset to the Civic Center Park

Only in Texas does traffic come to a snail's pace behind a huge disk tractor taking up the whole road.  This lasted for at least 5 miles into the busy city of Frisco.

We enjoyed our trip to Paris, TX, because we were together and always enjoy that.  But we always learn something new when we visit a new place.  We're not sure yet where we will travel to this Friday, but stay tuned.  It will be a week of celebrating, so check in to see the blog on Thursday.