A Brief Photographic Tour of Upshur County History
The Upshur County Courthouse Square
The courthouse square of most East Texas towns was the center
of all of the county's activities. On any busy day in downtown Gilmer, long
before there were paved streets, the square would fill with buggies and
wagons, and later automobiles. At the height of the cotton harvest, farmers
came to town with their teams of horses and mules. The deep sandy streets
around the courthouse were a problem for the wagons with heavy bales. Sometimes
Gilmer Singing Conventions would gather on the square, and their food-laden
tables would stretch the distance of the west side of the square.
The Old Upshur Courthouse (1889-1935) 
On the night of November 25, 1888, the Upshur County Courhouse
burned. The structure in this picture is the one built in 1889 to replace
the one destroyed by fire. The original brick of the 1889 structure was
covered with plaster in 1917, and the iron balconies were removed. The structure
survived until 1935 when it was replaced with the present courthouse.
Group on the porch of the 1889 Courthouse.
Square in 1917
The Square in 1920
The New Post Office built in 1925
Now the new Historic Upshur Museum
The Gilmer Post Office on the east side of the courthouse square was built
in 1925 and served Gilmer and the surrounding area well for nearly seven
decades. This picture, made in 1935, shows the original design, only slightly
changed now by an addition on the south end. Gilmer now has a new post office
a few blocks to the east of the Square. The red brick federal building in
1993 became the site of the Historic Upshur Museum. The Museum will formally
open in April of 1996, on the 150 anniversary of the county's founding.
Continue the Tour
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©Jere L.
Jackson, Stephen F. Austin State University, P.O. Box 6134, Nacogdoches,
Texas 75962 USA
E-mail: CETS@sfasu.edu
URL: http://www.cets.sfasu.edu
LAST MODIFIED: April 23, 1996