Jefferson, Texas

Almost every commercial building and house on the main arterial road in Jefferson has a historic marker.Shey, Brittanie. "Oprah of the Piney Woods." Houston Press. Wednesday, October 12, 2011. [http://www.houstonpress.com/2011-10-13/culture/oprah-of-the-piney-woods/2/ 2]. Retrieved on October 17, 2011.

Early records indicate that Jefferson was founded around 1841 on land ceded from the Caddo Indians. At that time, a log jam more than 100 miles long existed on the Red River north of present Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Indians said that this log jam, known as the Great Red River Raft, had always existed.

The Red River Raft (or Great Raft) acted as a dam on the river and raised the level of Caddo Lake and the Red River several feet. This rise of Caddo Lake and the corresponding rise in the Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson permitted commercial riverboat travel to Jefferson from ports such as St. Louis and New Orleans via the Mississippi and Red Rivers.

File:Jefferson, Texas in 1872.jpg of Jefferson in 1872 by Herman Brosius including a list of landmarks]]

Jefferson was one of the most important ports in Texas between 1845 and 1872. The town reached its peak population just a few years after the Civil War and is reported to have exceeded 30,000. During this time, Jefferson was the sixth-largest town in Texas.

There were attempts over the years to remove the raft and permit the normal flow of the Red River, but these attempts were unsuccessful until the discovery of nitroglycerin. In 1873, using nitroglycerin, the Army Corps of Engineers was finally able to clear the raft from the Red River. This lowered the level of Caddo Lake and Big Cypress to the extent that riverboat traffic to Jefferson was no longer commercially feasible. At the peak of river traffic, Jefferson had a population of over 7,000. A few years later, it had dropped to a little over 3,000.

The Sterne Fountain was given to the city in 1913 to honor the contribution of Jacob and Ernestine Sterne, a Jewish couple who settled in Jefferson before the Civil War and became prominent citizens who managed the post office and were involved in numerous civic and cultural projects. The fountain includes a statue of Hebe, the Greek goddess of Youth, by Giuseppe Moretti.{{ cite web |title=Sterne Fountain Historical Marker |author=Texas State Historical Commission |url=http://www.stoppingpoints.com/texas/sights.cgi?marker=Sterne+Fountain&cnty=marion}}

One of the legends related to Jefferson referred to Jay Gould, the railroad magnate. The legend goes that Gould wanted to bring his railroad through Jefferson but the town leaders refused because they had the river traffic. Gould said that "grass would grow in the streets" without the railroad. Gould credited with supporting the removal of the Red River Raft and the subsequent decline of Jefferson as a river port. Much of this tale is fiction. Townspeople obtained Gould's railcar and it is displayed as a tourist attraction in downtown Jefferson.Jefferson, Riverport to the Southwest, by Fred Tarpley, 1983.

Since 2000, Jefferson has been the location for the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Girlfriend Weekend's annual conference, attracting authors from all around the country.[http://www.texasobserver.org/texinthecity/fake-fur-big-hair-and-la-vie-litteraire Texas Observer, "Fake Fur, Big Hair and La Vie Littéraire," February 16, 2010]

Home of the famous TJ Blackburn Syrup Works since 1927.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|4.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|4.3|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (1.58%) is water.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Jefferson has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=775414&cityname=Jefferson%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Jefferson, Texas]

{{Weather box

| location = Jefferson, Texas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–present)

| single line = Y

| collapsed = yes

| Jan record high F = 82

| Feb record high F = 92

| Mar record high F = 89

| Apr record high F = 94

| May record high F = 97

| Jun record high F = 107

| Jul record high F = 107

| Aug record high F = 112

| Sep record high F = 109

| Oct record high F = 97

| Nov record high F = 87

| Dec record high F = 88

| year record high F = 112

| Jan high F = 56.9

| Feb high F = 61.2

| Mar high F = 69.1

| Apr high F = 76.6

| May high F = 83.4

| Jun high F = 90.6

| Jul high F = 94.0

| Aug high F = 94.5

| Sep high F = 88.7

| Oct high F = 78.7

| Nov high F = 67.0

| Dec high F = 58.9

| year high F = 76.6

| Jan mean F = 45.5

| Feb mean F = 49.1

| Mar mean F = 56.8

| Apr mean F = 64.1

| May mean F = 72.3

| Jun mean F = 79.9

| Jul mean F = 83.1

| Aug mean F = 82.7

| Sep mean F = 76.2

| Oct mean F = 65.1

| Nov mean F = 54.5

| Dec mean F = 47.2

| year mean F = 64.7

| Jan low F = 34.2

| Feb low F = 37.1

| Mar low F = 44.4

| Apr low F = 51.5

| May low F = 61.2

| Jun low F = 69.3

| Jul low F = 72.2

| Aug low F = 70.8

| Sep low F = 63.6

| Oct low F = 51.5

| Nov low F = 42.1

| Dec low F = 35.4

| year low F = 52.8

| Jan record low F = 7

| Feb record low F = -4

| Mar record low F = 15

| Apr record low F = 28

| May record low F = 38

| Jun record low F = 46

| Jul record low F = 55

| Aug record low F = 52

| Sep record low F = 38

| Oct record low F = 25

| Nov record low F = 16

| Dec record low F = -5

| year record low F = -5

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 4.08

| Feb precipitation inch = 4.23

| Mar precipitation inch = 4.83

| Apr precipitation inch = 4.74

| May precipitation inch = 5.11

| Jun precipitation inch = 5.10

| Jul precipitation inch = 2.96

| Aug precipitation inch = 2.42

| Sep precipitation inch = 3.77

| Oct precipitation inch = 4.47

| Nov precipitation inch = 3.61

| Dec precipitation inch = 4.42

| year precipitation inch = 49.74

| Jan snow inch = 0.5

| Feb snow inch = 0.7

| Mar snow inch = 0.1

| Apr snow inch = 0.0

| May snow inch = 0.0

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.0

| Oct snow inch = 0.0

| Nov snow inch = 0.0

| Dec snow inch = 0.0

| year snow inch = 1.3

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 8.3

| Feb precipitation days = 8.5

| Mar precipitation days = 8.7

| Apr precipitation days = 7.6

| May precipitation days = 8.2

| Jun precipitation days = 7.7

| Jul precipitation days = 5.5

| Aug precipitation days = 5.8

| Sep precipitation days = 5.6

| Oct precipitation days = 6.8

| Nov precipitation days = 7.9

| Dec precipitation days = 8.8

| year precipitation days = 89.4

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 0.2

| Feb snow days = 0.4

| Mar snow days = 0.1

| Apr snow days = 0.0

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.0

| Nov snow days = 0.0

| Dec snow days = 0.0

| year snow days = 0.7

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=shv

| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = August 21, 2021

| archive-date = June 27, 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150627103535/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=shv

| url-status = dead

}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00414577&format=pdf

| title = Station: Jefferson, TX

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = August 21, 2021}}

| source =

| width = 80

}}

{{US Census population

|1860= 988

|1870= 4190

|1880= 3260

|1890= 3072

|1900= 2850

|1910= 2515

|1920= 2549

|1930= 2329

|1940= 2797

|1950= 3164

|1960= 3082

|1970= 2866

|1980= 2643

|1990= 2199

|2000= 2024

|2010= 2106

|estyear=

|estimate=

|estref=

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

|2020=1875}}

In the 2010 U.S. census, there were 2,199 people, 871 households, and 544 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|465.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,042 housing units at an average density of {{convert|239.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. At the 2020 census, its population decreased to 1,875. The racial makeup of the city in 2010 was 62.80% White, 34.68% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population; in 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup remained predominantly non-Hispanic white. The city's racial makeup in 2018 was 50.2% non-Hispanic white and 41.5% Black or African American. 2.4% were of two or more races, and 5.9% from some other race; 7.3% were from Hispanic or Latino heritage from any race.{{Cite web |title=2018 ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Jefferson%20city,%20Texas&g=1600000US4837528&hidePreview=false&table=DP05&tid=ACSDP5Y2018.DP05&layer=place&cid=DP05_0001E&vintage=2018&lastDisplayedRow=24 |access-date=2020-01-25 |website=data.census.gov}}

At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $17,034, and the median income for a family was $26,250. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $14,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,558. About 29.4% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.1% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over. At the American Community Survey of 2020, its median household income was $40,306 with a mean income at $67,961.{{Cite web |title=2020 ACS Annual Income Estimates |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Jefferson%20city,%20Texas%20income |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=data.census.gov}}

The city of Jefferson is served by the Jefferson Independent School District.

• Diamond Bessie (1854–1877), 19th Century murder victim
• Vernon Dalhart, popular singer and songwriter, member of Country Music Hall of Fame
• Montrae Holland, NFL player, 2003–2011
• Robert Potter, Secretary of the Navy during the Texas Revolution
• Rafael Robinson, NFL player, 1992–1997
• Bobbie Williams, NFL player, 2000–2013 Super Bowl Champion (XLVII)

{{Portal|Texas}}

• The Grove
• Jefferson Jimplecute
• Texas and Pacific Railway

{{Reflist}}

{{notelist}}

• Bagur, Jacques D. Antebellum Jefferson, Texas: Everyday Life in an East Texas Town (Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2012). 612 pp.
• {{cite book|last1=Dean|first1=Winnie Mims|title=Jefferson, Texas: Queen of the Cypress|date=1953|publisher=Mathis, Van Nort and Co.|location=Dallas, Texas|oclc=2673597}}

{{Commons category|Jefferson, Texas}}

• Article on [https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hgj02 Jefferson, Texas] at the Handbook of Texas online.
• [http://www.jefferson-texas.com Marion County Chamber of Commerce for visitor information]
• [http://www.visitjeffersontexas.com Official Tourism Site for Jefferson, TX]

{{Marion County, Texas}}

{{Texas county seats}}

{{Shreveport, Louisiana}}

{{Texas}}

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Category:Cities in Marion County, Texas

Category:Cities in Texas

Category:County seats in Texas