Region: Prairies and Lakes
This city, incorporated in 1837, is the commercial center and seat of Red
River County, one of Texas' original counties. From the county's original area,
all or part of 38 other counties were created. Clarksville was founded 1834 by
Capt. James Clark. Sam Houston Park on F.M. 410 has markers commemorating Jane
Chandler Gill's grave, the oldest known Anglo grave in Texas; the site of Sam
Houston's entry into Texas; and the town of Jonesboro, one of the first Anglo
settlements in Texas.
The oldest structures in the business district on the square date from 1885,
and the area has a Victorian feel.
Just north of the city is Lennox Woods, a 374-acre virgin forest donated to
the Nature Conservancy of Texas by the Lennox Foundation. These woods were
preserved by the Lennox family for four generations. They are not open for
tours, but the woods are visible from the road. The area is also known as the
eastern "Wild Turkey Capital of Texas," with hunting leases
available.