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(Excerpted from "THE EAST TEXAS SUNDAY DRIVE BOOK" by Bob Bowman)
Concentrated
largely in Panola County, this Sunday Drive will provide you with some of the
flavor of East Texas' country and western music, a look at a ghost town, a stop
at an old railroad depot, and a drive through the beautiful pine and hardwood
forests along the Sabine River. Start
your Sunday Drive at Carthage, the county seat of Panola County (Panola means
cotton in Indian), where Potlatch, a festival of arts, crafts and country foods
is held every October.
Carthage... became the county seat in l884 when
Jonathan Anderson donated 100 acres for the townsite.
[A] block off the town square... you'll find a good collection of quaint shops
as well as the Heritage Museum, located in a restored bank building, and
the Panola County Historical Museum, located in the old county jail... more |
| Drawing
of the 1885 Panola County courthouse. Photo by Terry
Jeanson |
The
Panola County Courthouse
One of the worst architectural errors in judgement occurred in Panola County in
1956. The 1885 courthouse was replaced with the 1953 structure in use today. |
Carthage
Landmarks/Attractions: The
Panola County Courthouse
Jail
Museum: In the old Panola County Jail on North Shelby StreetJim
Reeves Memorial: On Hwy 79, 3 miles east of town
Tex
Ritter Museum: 300 W. Panola
Panola
County Heritage Museum: 100 East Sabine Street
Lake
Murvaul - 15 miles west of Carthage on Murvaul Bayou.
www.tpwd.state.tx.us.htm
Carthage
Hotels
History
in a Pecan Shell
(A timeline of significant events)
1846: Panola County is organized
– the town of Pulaski was made temporary county seat.
1848: Carthage
is named seat for its central location. Named for Carthage, Mississippi.
1849:
Post office was established and a log courthouse was built
1853: Brick
courthouse was completed
1874: Carthage is incorporated – although
it needed to be reincorporated in 1902 and again after that
1885: Third
courthouse is built
1888: Texas, Sabine Valley and Northwestern Railroad arrives
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