Pittsburg courthouse, 1928.
Architect: Smith and Praeger
Lovely town with a pretty depot. There's a neat farmstead near the courthouse.
Gilmer courthouse, 1933.
Architect: Elmer George Withers
Tyler courthouse, 1955. Replaced a lovely old one.
Architect: Thomas, Jameson & Merrell
Tyler is a small city, with many of the same chain stores and restaurants as Austin. The historic neighborhoods have beautiful homes. We lunched at the Rose Gardens (none were blooming yet - Tyler is the rose capital of Texas) and visited Brookshire's Museum and Old Grocery Store. We did not go inside the courthouse, due to metal detectors and Aaron's pocket knife!
Athens courthouse, 1913.
Architect: L. L. Thurman
Same design as Emory, but a different architect. The courthouse was nice, Athens was okay.
Old Athens jail, now a museum.
We camped at Purtis Creek State Park, which was nice. Had a delicious Italian dinner in Athens at Roma.
Aaron's comments: Today was interesting. I awoke ill, but hope, and believe that it didn't diminish the fun and excitement of the day. It is our last full day on the road and we are both sad our journey is coming to a close.
We left Bob Sandlin State Park around ten and made our way to Pittsburg, Texas. The route was nice, again. Rolling country and a nice vista as we crossed the lake. Pittsburg is home to what I assume is the Pilgrim's Pride chickenfeed distribution center. We have passed chicken farms as we drive for several days now and Pittsburg has giant silos along the rail tracks that feature the logo proudly. I'll be trying some of their product when I get back to Austin. :) Pittsburg is a nice little town with a courthouse dating to the late '20's. It is similar to the one in Quitman (home of James Hogg) but smaller and not so well kept. In front of the courthouse is a giant war memorial. When completed it will certainly be the largest we will have in the state! Well, it's big. I liked Pittsburg, the houses were nice and the little downtown was cool in a way. They make hot links there and I will be looking for them at HEB as well.
Pittsburg gave way to Gilmer. Ah, Gilmer. The square is nice, and busy. The courthouse dates to the thirties, and has that square stacked on square appearance common to the time. It is a nice little affair, but Gilmer was well, Gilmer.
Leaving Gilmer, hoping for more, listening to one of the best '80's mixes I have ever heard, we made off for Tyler. Let me say first and foremost, that we knew Tyler was going be a different animal altogether, when compared to the places we have been traveling for the past week. BUT I was totally unprepared for the size! It is so funny to think, but we have driven hundreds of miles and driven through literally dozens of towns, but we have seen very few people. Tyler is a metropolis. It has restaurants, and buildings, and museums and TRAFFIC! We agreed that upon arrival we were again in "the city" and in no hurry to get back to Austin. We found the courthouse with no issue. It is a massive structure when compared to the ones we have seen so far. It rises at least eight stories and is of the most fifties moderne style. I am a closet fan. I saw pictures of the old one but enjoy the way the BIG CITY is met with a marked change in the style of the courthouse as well. It was almost as if Burnet had moved into the future by a decade and the courthouse had exploded upward. The gravity of history doesn't hang round the place as it does in Marshall and it doesn't have the rustic backwater feel of the Johnson City courthouse, but for it to fit the surroundings better, I would be hard pressed to improve. After getting our pictures, we left to lunch in the Tyler Rose Park. Roses are not in bloom there. Go to Tyler, see the courthouse, wait for the Rose Festival.
The rude awakening of Tyler made us long for one-lane roads, so we made off for paths with names like #### and ###. Totally forgettable except for the natural beauty through which they pass. The drive to Tyler from Gilmer took a half hour, the one to Athens, which is the same distance, took nearly four times longer. Granted, we stopped at the state park to set up our tent and drop off the bikes and the kayak. BUT the drive took us along the edge of a very cool lake and through communities with names like Mabank and Gun Barrel City. The country out here is awesome, the pines have given way to hardwoods and the rolling pastures are all covered with a sheen of fresh green grass. I love the country.
Athens. At one time Athens was planned to be, by someone, the cultural center of Texas. No dice. It is a cute town. The crossroads of several highways pass right in front of the courthouse. Traffic is not heavy. The courthouse is very cool. It is in more or less the shape of an X. With the middle stretched out. It was the oldest of the day, at 1919. It was kind of a fusion of the business feel of Quitman, and the domed stature of San Marcos. The metal dome is cool but needs cleaning. The courthouse is in nice shape and has seen remodeling twice, but no changes were made, just cleaning.
We were hungry, so we drove around Athens in search of a restaurant. We settled on Roma and it was Italian. The menu is very nice and the food was good. We have heard that good food can be hard to come by here in northeast Texas, but Roma was good!
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