History of Jefferson Told Through Photographs

April 3, 2012 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Jefferson from local author Mitchel Whitington. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Jefferson, Texas, began as a simple ferry crossing on the Big Cypress Bayou. By 1841, Allen Urquhart had realized the potential for a town at this spot and purchased 640 acres. Daniel Alley bought the adjacent tract, and the city of Jefferson was born.

The town flourished as a steamship port during the 1800s and became the second-largest city in Texas. Steamboats from as far south as New Orleans would dock in Jefferson, unloading travelers and freight before taking on new cargo and starting on the return trip.

When the water levels in the bayou eventually fell, Jefferson was no longer accessible by steamship, and the population began to dwindle. Many saw this as the end of the city. However, the 1960s brought a rebirth to the town, and today Jefferson shares its rich history with travelers from across the nation.

Highlights of Jefferson:
•   The Great Red River Raft
•   Mysterious Caddo Lake
•   The steamboat age, and after
•   The Easter flood of 1945
•   Jay Gould’s legendary curse
•   Historic churches and Oakwood Cemetery

Mitchel Whitington is an author and historian living in an 1861 home known as the Grove in Jefferson, Texas. He is a member of the Historic Jefferson Foundation and the Marion County Historical Commission, and he is the author of numerous books on history and folklore. Many organizations and individuals provided Mitchel with the photographs of Jefferson’s past that helped to weave this story.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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With more than 7,500 local history titles published to date, Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Widely recognized sepia books feature hundreds of vintage historical images.