Sunday Trip to Jefferson

A few Sundays ago Dick suggested we take a road trip after church and lunch with friends.  He didn't have to ask twice.

We decided on the small town of Jefferson in East Texas, which is only an hour away.  It had been years since we had been there and really didn't remember anything about it.

Along the way we found this interesting sight.

We weren't sure of the significance of all the old bikes but assume there is an intriguing story there somewhere.

We also saw this relic of a school house.  We found the stonework of interest and later saw several homes in Jefferson made of the same material, so it must be a local stone.

A sign of desertion.  I hope that last piece of mail got picked up.

Little did we know that the re-enactment of The Andrews Raid was wrapping up that day.  Our late arrival had meant we missed the final battle.  We hoped the right side won.

I did learn something about this battle though.  Evidently, it was the Civil War's most gripping railroad story and took place aboard a live steam train and is called "The Train Battle of Port Jefferson."

We did get to see the dismantling of the two camps and enjoyed seeing some still in costume walking around the village.

The first attraction upon entering Jefferson from the south is the 

"1879 Howe Truss Lighted Bridge".  Of course we didn't get to see it lighted but I'm sure it is a sight at night when lite.

We parked near this bridge and started our walking tour through the old downtown and so enjoyed seeing the business district with its historic buildings.

The original County Courthouse is definitely a historical landmark.  The bikers were out on this gorgeous day.

The Main Street is lined with old buildings and because this is a tourist town, most still contain some sort of business although few were open on Sunday.

This store has served East Texas as a hardware Store and a General Store since the 1870's and the inside is still authentic.

This building with the flower garden balcony reminded us of New Orleans.  Wrought iron balconies are a common sight here in Jefferson also.

If we had not already eaten, this might have been temping.  It is an 1880's building and the history behind the Cornbread Sandwich can be found HERE.

The building which now contains the Jefferson Historical Society Museum was constructed in 1888 - 1890 as a Federal Courthouse and Post Office.

Jefferson is home to more state registered historic structures than anywhere else in Texas, many of which are also listed on The National Registry of Historic Places.

One of these is the The Excelsior House.  It has been in continuous operation longer than any other hotel in the whole state of Texas.  That says a lot.  If you like antiques and southern charm, this is the place for you. 

Right across the street is the Historic Jefferson Hotel.  It was built in 1851 but is currently closed for renovations.

Another historic building boasts the town's Golden Era Mural.

Evidently the Garden Club of Jefferson provided personal tours for the weekend, or just maybe a fancy mode of conveyance.

There is only a block that separates the business section from the residential.  This stature serves as the line of demarcation.

The Stearns Fountain was given to the City of Jefferson by the children of Jacob and Ernestine Sterne in 1912.  Cast of pure bronze, it is the statue of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth.  It is still used as a water source for horses, cows, dogs, cats, and people.

On the right side corner of the fountain is the Carnegie Library.

Built in 1907, it is one of four libraries in Texas, from the original 34, to currently operate as a library.  Some early fascinating facts can be found HERE

The following pictures are of the many historic homes we were able to see from our self-guided tour.  I have learned since that there is so much more to see of Jefferson, and that calls for another road trip.

One must take care walking on the sidewalks because of the tree roots tearing up what appears to be very ancient concrete.  But, it was such a lovely walk.

The Schluter House is a lovely Colonial-style home and was built in 1856 by F. A. Schluter, who was one of the first six settlers in Jefferson.  This private residence sits atop a small hill at the end of a main street and overlooks one of the towns small parks.  There is also a Schluter Building on Main Street.

There are over 26 Bed & Breakfasts in Jefferson and each is unique.

We found the old walls and steps to some of the homes very interesting and doubt they see much use.  But oh the tales they could probably tell.

I hope you enjoyed seeing Jefferson, Texas as much as we did and I will let you know when we make a return trip.

A Trip to the Texas Hill Country

Last week, we and our good friends, Tom and Judy took a seven hour road trip to Fredericksburg, Texas.  We enjoy traveling together because we get along great, have about the same likes and dislikes and our bladders are on the same schedule.

The last time Dick and I were in that part of Texas was in the early 80's and our friends had never been but had always wanted to go.  That gave us the perfect reason to plan a trip.

When we went through "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines home town of Waco, we thought we may as well stop by the Magnolia Store and Silos and see what all the fuss is about.

However, after seeing all the bus loads of people milling around and the long line to just get into the bakery, we decided to keep going.

Tom and Judy had friends tell them we had to take a side trip to Luckenbach Texas, where “Everybody’s Somebody.”  It was only four miles from the main highway and worth the detour because we can now say there really is such a place.

 Established as a trading post in 1849 there is not much there now other than a Post Office converted into a General Store and a bar with live music daily, and an old dance hall still in use every weekend.

This is a regular stop for tourists and especially bikers, where they can sit back under the old 500-year-old oak trees, relax and listen to live music.

 Historical Marker

 If you are a country music lover, you may recognize this place as the name and theme of a Waylon Jennings song.

I am not a country music lover but even I have heard of Luckenbach Texas!

 This colorful rooster and a couple chickens make up the population of 3 in this out-of-the-way place.

After this little stop, we made our way on west a few miles to Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg was founded on May 8, 1846 by German immigrants under the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. 

The first few years the town saw great growth. Within two years of establishing the town, the Nimitz family opened their hotel, which quickly became the most famous hotel in Central Texas.  The original building no longer exists but a replica resembling a ship has been built and now houses the Nimitz Museum.

It is the history of this place and its World War II naval significance that makes this such an interesting place to visit. 

Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz, the grandson of the hotel owner, was made Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Ocean Areas following the attack on Pearl Harbor, giving him control of all Allied forces in the central Pacific.  Later, he shared this post with Commander MacArthur.

We spent hours here and in the adjoining National Museum of the Pacific War.  The history recorded here is amazing.

 There are several other museums and one could spend days exploring them.  A casual stroll down any street reveals historic German homes and stores of limestone and fachwerk.

 There are interesting stores on both sides of the main street. 

 Phil Jackson's had some of the largest and most beautiful pieces of granite counter/table tops I have ever seen.  There are three ice cream parlors on this side of the street alone and I can testify to one of them.

Both we and our friends had a cousin living in Fredericksburg so Friday night was spent visiting and catching up with family.  We had a delightful time visiting with Dick's first cousin, Joyce and her husband, Noel and seeing their Fredericksburg home.

On Saturday morning we headed back east toward New Braunfels, which is another German town located between Waco and San Antonio.

Our main objective for going there was to see the small German village of Gruene (pronounced Greene) and have dinner at the historic Gristmill River Restaurant overlooking the Guadalupe River.

We realized that this particular weekend was the first Trade Days weekend of the year, so there were hundreds of other folks milling around all the tents and stores in the little village.

This is the village dance hall with live bands playing so loudly they can be heard down the street and plenty of two-stepping couples moving across the floor.

Landscaping Southwest Texas style.

Before dinner, we found a winery, Winery on the Gruene, near the restaurant and enjoyed a time of tasting some of the local products.  We found three Zinfandel that we liked well enough to bring home.

The historic Gristmill is set in an authentic century-old cotton gin from the 1870's and beneath the Gruene water tower on the Guadalupe River.  There are five levels to this expanse of dining space and we were told they could seat 1,400.

 After a delicious meal, we returned to our hotel where we spent a couple hours playing a game of Mexican Train.  This was a great way to end our most enjoyable road trip with dear friends.