Small Texas Towns along US 59
Our RV road trip continued from the Atlanta State Park in Texas down US 59 from Atlanta through Linden and on to Jefferson. This is small town Texas with winding roads and interesting sights all along the way.
Our first stop along the road was a small town called Jefferson, named for the American President, and dates to 1841 when it was started as a major river port for the then Republic of Texas. It is a town that is really very interesting with sufficient historic buildings, shops, restaurants and sights to keep you busy for a while.
We arrived early in the morning so many of the shops were not yet open but we walked around and found a lot to see and plenty of antique shops as well. There was one shop that had so much stuff outside on the sidewalk so it must have been a fairly safe area we thought.
The riverfront was nearby and there was a railway line as well, both nods to the town’s historic usage. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to go inside any of the shops because we got there early in the morning and nothing was open. The wide brick streets were fairly empty but there was plenty to see and once open, there were plenty of shops to roam in and out of.
The town of Marshall was attractive enough, though certainly less historic in appearance to Jefferson. The US 59 goes right through the town’s center and the courthouse is pretty amazing – we drove around it twice actually.
There are a few places to eat and shop though it is apparent this town doesn’t get as many visitors as Jefferson. We later learned that Marshall’s claim to fame is as the birthplace of boogie woogie.
We didn’t get a chance to visit the Marshall Pottery, which isn’t in the historic town center anyway, but would have enjoyed that. If you’re going to be there, it looks like it would be worth a stop.
Tenaha
This is a very small town on the US 59 but is interesting nonetheless. Its small town center doesn’t hold much to keep you here but it is interesting to see such a small town and imagining the everyday life of its residents. The city hall is a tiny two story building and its main business block has nothing over two stories as well. Quaint and faded it is worth looking at when you drive though.
Historically, Tenaha was ground zero for a police problem that involved confiscating cash and other valuables from people pulled over on the highway in the town. While we didn’t encounter any police or see anything suspicious it is worth noting that they were targeting minorities in their efforts in the article I read in the Huffington Post on the issue. US 59 apparently is a well known drug trafficking route. Who knew.
In the next story, we’ll continue down the US 59 to Nacogdoches which is the oldest town in the present State of Texas. Keep exploring!
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