历史和文化遗产
博物馆、历史标记和故事，解释Jefferson为何成为东德州民宿之都。
如果想了解steamboat、Great Raft和National Register街区的大叙事，可以先从“关于Jefferson”开始。本指南部分保持实用：本季哪些历史住宅开放，哪里可以阅读州历史标记，以及如何在住宿之间安排自助一日行程。
上午在历史住宅听讲解，下午去测量博物馆；你的行程可以很学术，也可以很轻松。
Curator's Favorites
Excelsior House Hotel
精选Historic 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
精选Private 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)
精选Stunning 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)
精选Housed 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
精选Cast 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
精选The 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)
精选Built 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.