History & heritage
Museums, markers, and stories that explain why Jefferson became the B&B capital of East Texas.
For the long narrative of steamboats, the Great Raft, and the National Register district, start with About Jefferson. This guide section stays practical: which house museums open this season, where to read state markers, and how to stitch a self-guided day between stays.
Pair a morning lecture at a historic home with an afternoon at the museum of measurement—your itinerary can be as scholarly or as breezy as you like.
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Curator's Favorites
Excelsior House Hotel
FeaturedHistoric hotel in continuous operation since the 1850s — built by Captain William Perry, who brought the first steamboat to Jefferson in 1844. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #69000208) and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Operated by the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club since 1961. One of Texas's oldest operating hotels and a primary anchor of the Jefferson Historic District.
The Atalanta — Jay Gould's Railroad Car
FeaturedPrivate railroad car of Jay Gould (c.1882), the American railroad tycoon and industrialist. Contains original fixtures. Lore has it that Gould's request for a rail line through Jefferson was refused by local leaders — he wrote in the hotel guest book that Jefferson would become a 'ghost town,' and the town's decline followed shortly after. Available for tour by appointment at the Excelsior House.
House of the Seasons (Epperson-McNutt House)
FeaturedStunning 1872 Italianate mansion built by attorney and large landowner Benjamin Epperson. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #69000207) and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Famous for its cupola with colored glass that depicts the changing seasons (spring green, summer clear, fall amber, winter blue). Operates as a luxury B&B and tour home.
Jefferson Historical Museum (Old U.S. Post Office and Courts Building)
FeaturedHoused in the original 1888 Federal Courthouse and Post Office. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #69000210) and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Features Civil War relics, Caddo Indian artifacts, pioneer tools, and an extraordinary HO-scale Texas & Pacific Railway model. A magnolia tree on the grounds was planted from a seedling from the White House lawn tree, brought by Lady Bird Johnson.
Sterne Fountain
FeaturedCast of pure bronze by J.L. Mott Foundry of New York (1912). Features a statue of Hebe, Greek goddess of youth, serving water to animals and people. Given by the children of Jacob and Ernestine Sterne. Now under the care of the Jefferson Historical Foundation.
Steamboat Turning Basin
FeaturedThe site where steamboats once docked, loaded cargo, and turned to return downstream to Caddo Lake, Shreveport, and beyond. Jefferson was once the largest inland port city in Texas. Currently pending restoration.
Stilley-Young House (The Grove)
FeaturedBuilt in 1861 in the Greek Revival style by brothers Daniel and Thomas Stilley. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #05001105) and holds the prestigious State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) designation — one of only two SAL sites in Marion County. Known widely in folklore as 'The Grove' and featured on national television as one of the most storied historic properties in Texas.