Paris Texas is in good company, as it is among many other Texas cities with names
that hail from overseas - like Odessa, Bogota, Detroit, Athens, etc. And, Paris is the
second largest city so named in the world.
Southern History
Paris sits on an expanse of beautiful Triden's prairie between the Red and Sulphur
Rivers. The city's original name was Pinhook and it was located in Red River county,
but by 1841 Lamar county was formed and the town was renamed Paris in honor of
Mirabeau Lamar, the governor of Texas at the time.
Paris quickly became the commercial hub for the surrounding cotton farms, and an
important trade center for Northeast Texas and Southeast Oklahoma. So as not to
disturb its trade with Indian Territory, the city voted against secession. White citizens,
however, fought for the Confederacy all the same.
Paris also became the center of action of the Woman's Temperance Movement, whose
notorious leader Carrie Nation not only condemned alcohol - which is probably why
Paris is still a dry town - but promoted women's suffrage as well.
The darkest hour of the city occurred in February 1893, when Henry Smith, an African
American migrant worker, was lynched in front of a 10,000 strong mob. Many had
actually taken excursion trains from Dallas to witness this alleged child murderer's
gruesome killing. He was not only burned at the stake, but his eyes were seared out
with red hot pokers. Several witnesses to the event then gathered his bones as
souvenirs.
Fire of 1916
No one knows what exactly started one of the most devastating fires to hit any
American city, but the inferno of 1916 is believed to have been started by a spark from
a train at the switching yards. Howling winds added to the dry conditions that day, and
the resulting fire burned for three days. It destroyed all of downtown Paris, including
the pink granite courthouse. Fire fighters from Dallas, Bonham, Clarksville, Sherman,
and Denison aided the Paris firemen, and when it was all over, the completely
demolished city had over $11 million in property damage.
Modernity
Paris quickly rebuilt, locating the courthouse behind downtown to preserve the
remaining documents and records from another disaster. James Culbertson donated a
fountain in 1922 to commemorate the fire and beautifying the square. Three hospitals
began serving the Red River Valley - a charity hospital run by nuns, a public sanitarium,
and a doctor's hospital. In 1924, Paris' educational needs were met when the doors to
Paris Junior College first opened. Then, by World War II Paris became a major military
training ground at Camp Maxey (where tons of ammunition and other Army equipment
are supposed to have been buried and lost) and later, a P.O.W. camp. Today, Camp
Maxey, which was named after the Civil War General who made Paris his home, hosts
the Texas National Guard.
Tornado of 1982
The twister that landed just a few yards from downtown must have been at least an F3,
and it left 14 people dead. Paris quickly rebuilt itself again, although the city demolished
or otherwise neglected several of its old buildings.
Today, Paris is still a regional hub for health care and business, and hosts plenty of
immigrants and emigrant Mennonites, too.
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in France or here - be complete without a
salute to the Eiffel Tower, avec hat.
Smith lynching, is now the Chamber of
Commerce, a transportation museum, and a
genealogical library. But no mention of the
lynching.
Culbertson Fountain
Downtown square
Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site
812 S. Church Street
903-785-5716
www.tpwd. state.tx.us/park/sambell
Cherry Street Historic District
Union Station Depot
SW 11th and Kaufman
Houses Chamber of Commerce, Museum, Genealogical Library
903-784-2501 (Chamber)
Eiffel Tower with Cowboy Hat
Jefferson St. and Collegiate Drive
Evergreen Cemetery
Jefferson Street west and S. Church
Make sure to see the statue of Jesus wearing cowboy boots!
Pat Mayse Lake
Fishing, camping, swimming, hiking
Aikin Archives
Paris Junior College Library
2400 Clarksville Street
Houses lots of Aikin (former state senator) papers, some
genealogy
District
Paris sits at the intersection of US 82 and
US 271, just 20 miles south of the Red River
and two hours northeast of Dallas. Click on
the map to find it for yourself.
