Nestled near the Big Cypress Bayou, this small East Texas town still maintains its heritage and charm. Through stunning photography, Cheryl MacLennan captures the architectural details of 25 historic homes in Jefferson, including the Sedberry House and the Freeman Plantation, which were built between 1850 and 1880. She also covers such historic buildings as the Haywood House Hotel and Jefferson Carnegie Library. A section on interiors reveals the beauty within select establishments, showcasing their splendor.

Nestled near the Big Cypress Bayou, this small East Texas town still maintains its heritage and charm. Through stunning photography, Cheryl MacLennan captures the architectural details of 25 historic homes in Jefferson, including the Sedberry House and the Freeman Plantation, which were built between 1850 and 1880. She also covers such historic buildings as the Haywood House Hotel and Jefferson Carnegie Library. A section on interiors reveals the beauty within select establishments, showcasing their splendor.

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.

An illustrated history of Beaumont, Texas, paired with histories of the local companies.

This richly illustrated book tracks the evolution of Fredericksburg architecture and guides readers through the streets of this once-westernmost German settlement in America, pointing out the log, fachwerk, and stone buildings that housed the town’s full-time residents, its weekenders, and the businesses of the nineteenth century. Abundant with details uncovered by Hafertepe in his research, including corrections to construction dates based on newly tapped records, this guide features those buildings visible to visitors from the public streets and sidewalks. The author lists which buildings are open for tours and which ones have been converted to public use such as museums, stores, or restaurants. The buildings of Fredericksburg reflect memories of classic German construction and technique with a gradual transition to American styles, including a few remarkable decades that were neither purely German nor American distinctively but saw the creation of a regional style. This book allows readers to walk down the streets of Fredericksburg and see the layers of Texas history on display: everything from a pioneer log cabin to an art deco courthouse.