On Friday, Dec. 4, the Pearce Civil War and Western Art Museum staff is planning a festive day trip to historic Jefferson, Texas, located on the Big Cypress Bayou in the Cypress Valley of northeast Texas. Museum volunteers, members, and the public are invited to join.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. when tour participants will board a Navarro College bus at the Cook Education Center on the Corsicana campus bound for Jefferson for sightseeing, holiday shopping, and lunch in the historic downtown area. In the afternoon, the tour group will take a guided riverboat tour of the Big Cypress Bayou and relive a time when steamboats plied the Big Cypress River from the Port of New Orleans, and true Southern gentility was the order of the day. The tour group will arrive back in Corsicana at 6 p.m.

According to the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Jefferson became a port of entry into the Republic of Texas and then the state of Texas. It was also a shipping port for those who wished to sell agricultural products, especially cotton. Cotton was brought to Jefferson from as far away as Dallas by ox wagon and then sold by merchants in Jefferson to markets in New Orleans and St. Louis.

During Jefferson's Golden Era as a steamboat port from 1845 until 1875, it became a cosmopolitan town like most port cities with a confluence of cultures and businesses. The architectural styles, which developed in Jefferson during this period of prosperity, resembled those of New Orleans. The homes were primarily of Greek revival design.  

When the log raft was removed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the year 1873, the water level in Big Cypress Bayou was reduced and navigation to Jefferson was threatened. Railroads were also extended during this period of time across Texas, which reduced Jefferson's commercial market area. The town ceased to be a prominent port city and commercial center. However, many of the mid-19th century homes and buildings remain. 

The fee for the holiday trip to Jefferson is $15 for Pearce Museum members and $20 for non-members. It includes transportation to and from Jefferson, plus an afternoon riverboat tour. All amenities are within walking distance. Space is limited! For more information or to make a reservation (Deadline is Nov. 24.), please call Carla Testa at (903) 875-7420, or Holly Wait at (903) 875-7438.