Region: Piney Woods
Seat of Upshur County, the city was founded in 1848 on the historic Cherokee
Trace, and it became a trade center for a growing population of farmer-settlers.
Cotton farming dominated the economy, joined by a lumbering boom at the turn of
the century. The East Texas oil boom of the early 1930s extended into the county
as cotton began to fade. Lumber, dairying and beef cattle are important
today.
More than 50 historical markers are found in the city and around the county,
including a 1936 granite marker in Roosevelt Park on the site of an early
19th-century Cherokee village. Markers on the courthouse lawn tell about the
Cherokee Trace, traveled by Sam Houston and other Texas Revolution heroes on
their first trips to Texas.
Gilmer became a Texas Main Street City in 1998, won Texas Main Street City of
the year in 1999 and was named a National Main Street City in 2000. Historic
Gilmer Main Street features a downtown square with red brick-paved streets,
shops and restaurants. 903/843-2552.
Gilmer is part of the Texas Forest Trail Region—the heritage tourism
initiative of the Texas Historical Commission that encompasses 35 counties in
East Texas. www.thc.state.tx.us.
Don't miss the East Texas Yamboree—third Wednesday through Saturday in
October—which pays homage to the sweet potato and is one of the oldest annual
festivals in Texas.