This past weekend was Jefferson’s 64th Annual Pilgrimage and Re-enactment of the Battle of Port Jefferson. Our Battle of Port Jefferson re-enactment is the largest Civil War re-enactment in the State of Texas. The weekend kicks off with four of our historic homes opening for tour. This year, we had a wonderful assortment of homes in different styles and architectures.

: The Angel Rose House

This was one of my favorite homes on tour and for a very unique reason. It is the sister house to the Carriage House Bed & Breakfast. I need to do much more research but I think these two historic homes must have a shared history. I walked through this house and marveled at how the layout matched my own house. I walked away with a ton of new ideas. The Angel Rose house was also built in 1920 and is a Craftsman kit house ordered out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog for $900. The home has had many additions added to it over it’s years and has been fully restored all the way to traditional Craftsman paint colors.

Twin Oaks Plantation

This amazing home is a beautiful example of a classic Southern Colonial Greek Revival home. This property sat empty for many years and was purchased last year and is in the process or being restored. Only the carriage house and the pool house were on tour this time since they are the only structures that have been completed. The main house is still very much a work in progress. These beautiful buildings sit on a large piece of land that used to be a cotton and pecan plantation.

The William Clark House

This home built in 1852 is one of the oldest homes in Jefferson and was built by one of the of the original founders of Jefferson, Allen Urquhart. The rest of the house (three front rooms) was added in 1855 by a local merchant by the name of William Clark (hence the name, William Clark House). I loved the sunny yellow paint that many of the rooms were painted in. It gave the entire house a cheerful feel to it.

The Culberson House

This is one of the grandest homes in Jefferson filled with amazing art and priceless antiques. This home was built by Col. David Browning Culberson who is famous for many things including defending Abe Rothschild at the Diamond Bessie Murder Trial. This house is another example of the traditional southern architecture of the time, Greek Revival, and was inspired by a Greek Temple.

Little Girls Holding Pet Chickens

The home tour was not the only thing going on in town this past weekend. The town was full of Civil War re-enactors trying to recreate life in 1864. Entire families were living in tents set up in various parks and lots throughout town. Not only did they dress in traditional Civil War garb, but they fully immersed themselves in the lifestyle of the time.

: Riverport Ambassadors at the Pilgrimage Parade

One of the fun events of the weekend is the annual Pilgrimage parade Saturday morning. Tom and I are members of a local tourism organization called the Riverport Ambassadors. We dress up in period dress and assist the tourists on weekends. We do step on bus tours, and educate the public on Jefferson’s colorful past. Like many local organizations, we participate in the Pilgrimage parade. You can’t see me real well, but that’s me in the middle in the sea foam green dress with the black parasol.

: Civil War Skirmish on Austin Street

The parade ends with a gun battle and a skirmish in our beautiful Historic Riverfront District before the Civil War heads out to the battlefield set up at Tuscumbia Ranch. In addition to all of these fun activities, we also have a quilt show, an heirloom plant sale, an art show, the Grande Hertiage Southern Ball, the Great Locomotive Chase, the Diamond Bessie Murder Trial play, and evening Twilight Garden Strolls.

Tags: Historic Jefferson Railway, History, Hotels, Jefferson Texas, Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, Living History
Posted in Allen Urquhart, Battle of Port Jefferson, Civil War, Diamond Bessie, gardens, Historic Jefferson Railway, Jefferson Texas, lodging, Pilgrimage, Quilt Show, Riverport Ambassadors, The Carriage House Bed and Breakfast | 1 Comment »

Cool Video About Jefferson and Marshall Texas

March 8th, 2011 by carriagehouse

I am always looking for cool ideas and videos about this little slice of heaven that we call Jefferson Texas to blog about. Yesterday when I was working on my Mardi Gras video, I ran into this great little video from the Texas Dept of Tourism. I thought this video did a great job of summing up Jefferson, Marshall and the Caddo Lake area and did so in a beautiful way. I know you will want to book your room with us here at the Carriage House Bed & Breakfast as soon as you see it.

Tags: Caddo Lake, Jefferson Texas, Marshall Texas
Posted in Caddo Lake, Jefferson Texas, Marshall, Riverport Ambassadors, The Carriage House Bed and Breakfast | Comments Off

Living History at the Old Oakwood Cemetary in Jefferson,Texas

February 28th, 2011 by carriagehouse

On April 2, 2011, the Riverport Ambassadors, a group dedicated to promoting tourism and interpreting the history of Jefferson, Texas, will be conducting a narrated dramatic tour of Old Oakwood Cemetery, one of Texas’ and Southeast U.S.A.’s most interesting final resting places. At five gravesites, actors in period costume will dramatize biographies and events that made the lives of those buried within both significant and interesting. This dramatization will be in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club’s ownership of the historic Excelsior Hotel.

Tours begin April 2, 2011 between 5:30 and 6:15pm

at the main entrance of the Old Oakwood Cemetery.

Five vignettes will be featured:

Diamond Bessie (1854 – 1877) immortalized by the drama that has been viewed to sellout audiences for over fifty years, The Diamond Bessie Murder Trial. Diamond Bessie, a New York manufacturer’s daughter turned prostitute, was murdered in Jefferson at age 23.
German immigrants Kate Woods and daughter Amelia arrived in Jefferson in 1877 and purchased the Excelsior Hotel.
Bad guys Jesse Robinson and Bill Rose killed each other in a gun fight in 1871, and are buried handcuffed together in the same grave.
Jessie Allen Wise, historic Jefferson icon, for whom the Excelsior Hotel’s owner, the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, is named. She will be immortalized by her granddaughter–civic leader and historian Mary Margaret (Wise) Harvey.
Confederate Captain Joseph H. Pratt, who commanded the 10th Texas Field Battery that supported Colonel William Henry Parsons under the flag of Parson’s Brigade during the War Between the States. This distinguished battery fought gallantly throughout the South during the Civil War.

Donations to the Old Oakwood Cemetery to support restoration will be gratefully accepted. Cash or checks payable to Old Oakwood Cemetery Association.

Reserve your space for the April 2, 2011 tour at http://www.riverportambassadors.com/. Tickets are also available at the Carriage House Bed and Breakfast by calling 903-665-9511

Tags: Cemetery Tours, Living History
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Riverport Ambassadors

August 3rd, 2010 by carriagehouse

This past July 4th weekend, the City of Jefferson introduced the Riverport Ambassadors program. What are the Riverport Ambassadors you ask? The Riverport Ambassadors are “persons in character.”

The Riverport Ambassadors wander up and down the streets of the Historic Riverfront District and introduce our visitors to what life was like back in 19th century Jefferson. You can see Civil War heroes, scalawags, railroad tycoons, clerks, church ladies, steam boat captains or other wonderful characters.

The Riverport Ambassador Program were created to enhance the “Riverport Experience” of Jefferson, Texas. They do so by having fun and dressing in period costume. All Riverport Ambassadors try to interact one-on-one with our guests and visitors. The mission of the Riverport Ambassadors is to promote tourism, support businesses and interpret the history of Jefferson.

The Riverport Ambassadors were so successful July 4th that they will be out every weekend starting the first weekend of September and continuing on until May. There is no better way for you or your children to learn about the wonderful riverport history of Jefferson then through the recreation of that history by the Riverport Ambassadors.

For more information, please contact us here at the Carriage House at 903-665-9511

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Cool Video About Jefferson and Marshall Texas

Living History at the Old Oakwood Cemetary in Jefferson,Texas

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