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LONGVIEW,
TEXASGregg
County Seat, East Texas
Junction of Hwy 80 & Hwy 259
40 miles E of Tyler
125 miles E of Dallas
Population: 73,344 (2000) |
Longview
street scene
TE photo, 2002 |
Excerpted
from "THE EAST TEXAS SUNDAY DRIVE BOOK"
Longview
& Marshall: A metropolitan Sunday Drive by
Bob Bowman
Begin
at in downtown Longview with the excellent Gregg
County Historical Museum at the corner of Fredonia and Bank streets. The museum's
exhibits illustrate the development of Gregg County from the days of the Caddo
Indians and will prepare you for the rest of your Sunday Drive.
Longview
itself was carved out of the pine forests in l870 when railroad engineers surveyed
a 50-acre tract deeded to the Southern Pacific Railroad by O.H. Methvin. From
the crest of Capps Hill, the surveyors, looking into the distance to the south,
remarked what a "long view" there was from the hill. Longview was made the county
seat of newly-created Gregg County in l871.
Leaving the museum, you'll
want to spend some time walking the streets of downtown Longview, where
many of the city's oldest buildings are being preserved as the result of a strong
historical movement in the community.
Be sure to see the historical marker
to the last raid of the Dalton Gang at 200 North Fredonia. Here, at the First
National Bank, a bloody gunfight resulted in three deaths when the Dalton
Gang robbed the bank. The
robbery resulted in the ultimate capture of the gang, ending its reign of
crime and violence.
The
Gregg County Courthouse is also in downtown Longview. Here is a statue
to General John Gregg, a general in the Confederate Army.
Other Longview places of
interest include:
- The
Campbell Honeymoon Home,
located at 521 North Second Street. This was the home of Texas Governor Thomas
Mitchell Campbell when he married Fannie Bruner while working as a clerk in the
Gregg County courthouse in l878.
- The
Stagecoach Stop Museum
at 322 Teague, one of the few remaining homes from Earpville, the forerunner of
Longview. The building dates from the early l860s.
- The
Brown-Birdsong home
at 104 West Whaley Street. This Victorian home was built in l879 by an early settler,
B.W. Brown, a Methodist lay minister. Brown helped create Gregg County.
From
Longview, head east on U.S. 80. You'll pass through Hallsville while traveling
a scenic route characterized by meadows, ranches, and turn-of-the-century buildings.
Hallsville dates back to l839 when W.C. Crawford built a fort as protection against
Indians. The town was named for pioneer Elijah Hall in l870 when the railroad
arrived. ... more
Longview
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The
Gregg County Historical Museum:
Located in the handsome and historic Everett Building at 214 North
Fredonia Street. This was originally the Citizens National Bank. Many exhibits
deal with the everyday life of early residents, and many showcase the various
industries that molded the economy of the region. Included are artifacts from
an 1894 bank robbery involving the Dalton Gang. 10:00 to 4:00 Tuesday through
Saturday. Closed on Sunday, Monday, and major holidays. Admission is $2.00 for
adults, $1.00 for students and senior citizens (65 and older).
Longview
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The Gregg County Historical Museum
The Everett Building in Longview
TE
photo, 2002
More Texas
Museums |
Everett Building historical marker
TE photo |
The K of P Lodge in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
The K of P Lodge in Longview
TE photo, 2002
More Texas
Lodges |
The
Post Office has a "WPA" mural. (1942) Texas Farm Scene by Thomas Stell.
Longview Event - One of Longview's most popular events is the
mid-July Great Balloon Race.
Nearby Destinations Brandy
Branch Reservoir - On Brandy Branch Creek in Harrison County, 10 miles east
of Longview
Lake
O' the Pines - 25
miles northeast of Longview
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/lakes/lop/lake_id.htm
Marshall
- Hwy 80 East 23 miles.
See Longview
and Marshall, East Texas Sunday Drives
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A
cast iron building in Longview
TE photo, 2002 |
Cast
iron building detail
TE photo 2002 |
Union
Iron and Foundry Co. St. Louis
Cast iron building detail
TE photo 2002
|
Municipal
Building
TE photo 2002 |
Longview
Tourist Information
The Longview Convention & Visitor's Bureau
410 N. Center Street.
903-753-3281.
http://www.longviewtx.com/ |
Longview
Texas Forum
About Longview
When I
was five years old, my family moved to Longview from Houston. My dad took a job
as an engineer with R.G. LeTourneau, designing offshore drilling platforms. We
moved into a pink house on Idylwood Drive and lived there until I was ten. The
things that still come to mind about that time in Longview was in the summer,
the streets, which were an oil/tar base were plowed up with huge tractor like
vehicles. The smell of the tar was pervasive for weeks after they did that. As
a young boy, I went barefoot in the summer and walking on the streets in Longview
caused the bottoms of my feet to become black, like the tarred streets....
more - Mike Campbell, Hong Kong,
December 01, 2006
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