I love Paris, France and I’m always ready to
return to this great city, but we have a Paris in Texas that I’d never really visited,
so it was time for some exploration. Situated on the West Gulf Coastal Plain
just about 100 miles northeast of the DFW Metroplex is the seat of Lamar County:
Paris, Texas.
Lamar County was first settled by Anglos in the 1800s, hosting at least five
communities before George W. Wright bought 1,000 acres of unoccupied land,
started his farm and opened a general store. The county was established in 1844
and named after Mirabeau B. Lamar, the President of the Republic of Texas. Although
Texas became a state in 1845, the county retained its name. Along with the
creation of the county, came the founding of a town that was named Paris. The
city was destroyed by fire three times, forcing citizens to rebuild the central
business areas, and in some instances residential areas, as well. However, the
town has prospered, and the county seat has remained in Paris. As with all
cities in the US named ‘Paris’, it has an Eiffel Tower. This one is about 65
feet tall and, to differentiate it from the one in Paris, Tennessee, it is
topped by a giant red cowboy hat; the hat also makes the tower five feet taller
than its counterpart in Tennessee.
