The Past:

Jefferson’s historical significance is well documented.  From the 1840’s to the 1870’s Jefferson was considered the second largest port in Texas; second only to Galveston. Huge paddleboats would haul pioneers and goods to the port of Jefferson from New Orleans and return loaded with cotton and lumber. The Cajun and New Orleans influence lingers today as Jeffersonians annually host a Mardi Gras parade and festival, attended by many people from the surrounding area.

During the earlier era, Jefferson was truly the gateway to the west. In 1872 the population peaked at 7,297 and Jefferson was a thriving metropolis. However, in or around 1873, two events signaled the end of the golden era in Jefferson:

o The arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railroad, reducing Jefferson’s importance as a river port, and

o The Army Corps of Engineers blasted apart a log jam on the Red River dislodging the very logs that had maintained the water level in the Big Cypress Bayou rendering the waterway no longer navigable to the large paddleboats.

Later, post-depression around 1935, Jefferson saw another boon with the discovery of oil, and its population swelled to over 6,000. 

The Present:

The Jefferson Historical Museum and Jefferson's Carnegie Library both house exhibits and materials that preserve and promote the study of early Jefferson. The County Seat of Marion County, Jefferson, has a population, according to the 2000 US census, of 2,199.

Jefferson is an inviting and welcoming destination for antique aficionados with 40 or so shops dealing in antiques and collectables, and upwards of 60 Bed & Breakfast establishments.

The Future:

Jefferson, as well as having a rich history and being a delightful place to live today, is looking seriously at its future and planning accordingly.  

o 2008 saw the opening of The “Jefferson Life Center”, on Polk Street, downtown and easily accessible. The Life Center combines a health care facility with a wellness center for those wishing to maintain their good health, and 

o The Collins' Education Center offering educational diagnostics, tutorial and instructional services and courses appropriate to the needs of all people in Jefferson, as well as quality Day Care for young children.

On the drawing board is a building to be transformed into a classroom setting to be used by Texas Tech University of Lubbock, giving Texas Tech a presence in both West and East Texas. By hosting some offices and classes from Texas Tech, Jefferson intends to draw upon their expertise in transforming the downtown area into a model of environmentally friendly construction and renovation as well as a pedestrian community rich in technology.

Jefferson is fortunate to have the Jeffersonian Institute in its midst, which exists to protect and advance the environmental, cultural and human resources of  the Cypress Valley, as a replicable model for the rest of the world to promote sustainable development; environmentally, economically, educationally, socially, medically and culturally.

Jefferson is certainly a community on the go.