North of I-20 some 25 miles west of the Louisiana state line, Marshall (pop. 23,935) is one of the older, and once among the wealthiest, towns in Texas. Now a fairly quiet place, in its early years Marshall was the commercial capital of the East Texas cotton country, and during the Civil War two local residences served as the Confederate capital—of Missouri. This anomaly, along with general regional history, is chronicled in the Harrison County Historical Society Museum (Tues.–Sat. only; $2), housed in the supremely ornate, yellow brick courthouse on the town square.
If you have the time and inclination to get a more palpable sense of the varied culture and history of East Texas, take US-59 15 miles north of Marshall to Jefferson (pop. 2,024), an almost perfectly preserved bayou town that looks much as it did during the 1870s when, with a population of nearly 30,000, it was the busiest inland port west of the Mississippi. Among the most prominent of the hundreds of historic structures here is the 1858 Excelsior House, 211 W. Austin Street; across the street, you can tour Jay Gould’s private railroad car, the Atalanta, or simply explore the many good antique shops, cafés, and restaurants. For more information, contact the Jefferson tourist office (903/665-2672) at 118 N. Vale Street.
Back on the main road, just before the Louisiana border, the stretch of old US-80that runs parallel to I-20 is home to the ever-welcoming New Waskom Café (903/687-4028), open for breakfast and lunch since the 1920s.
