Upshur County has conducted county business in a variety of places:
The first prosecution took place beneath a tree at William H. Hart’s home in 1846.
Proceedings then were moved into a log courthouse until Gilmer, the county seat, was relocated.
A second log cabin was put to use at the new site of the county seat.
Boards from Hoover Brothers’ Big Sandy Creek mill were used to erect a new county home.
In 1871, the county paid J.P. Ford $6,500 to build a county courthouse with a cupola and four support columns. According to June Rayfield Welch’s “The Texas Courthouse Revisited,” the floors were “covered with sawdust to protect them from tobacco juice.” When the building was too crowded, the county turned to the opera house for a courtroom. The courthouse eventually burned in November 1888.
The county rented a building until a replacement was built in 1889.
Finally, the present temple of justice was erected in 1933 for $180,000.
Upshur County was created from Harrison and Nacogdoches counties in 1846 and named for U.S. Secretary of State A.P. Upshur. The county seat of Gilmer honors U.S. Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer.
The county’s natural beauty and history are celebrated with annual events that some have described as “a natural history lesson.”
For example, every May Upshur County honors its Cherokee Indian heritage with the Cherokee Rose Festival. A year after the Cherokee Indians settled in Texas, they needed a trail to lead them through the pine forestland to the homes of other Cherokee bands. Supposedly, an Indian with a love of the country and impeccable sense of direction worked with other tribesmen to plant beautiful pink Cherokee Roses and honeysuckle to mark the way. These roses still bloom in dense hedgerows along the lanes and back roads of East Texas.
In October, the county rallies for the East Texas Yamboree, one of the oldest continuous festivals in Texas. During the year of the Texas Centennial, counties were encouraged to promote something from their community. East Texas yams were growing again, following a quarantine on shipping a few years earlier. The festival committee chose the yam as its theme, and the East Texas Yamboree has been held every year since, except for the period during World War II.
Visitors and homefolks alike frequent Lake O’ The Pines, labeled one of the most beautiful lakes in northeast Texas. The lake lures fishermen with its bass, catfish and crappie, and water enthusiasts with its ski, sail and pontoon boats.
Lake Gilmer and the surrounding area, open to the public in September 2001, continues to expand with the addition of a recreational park and two walking trails.
Texas Almanac 2004-2005
