Historic Tours of Jefferson

Name: Historic Tours of Jefferson
Address: 217 W Lafayette Street, Jefferson, TX, 75657, US
Telephone: +19036650359
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

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Historic Tours of Jefferson

Historic Tours of Jefferson takes you on a scenic 1-hour tour of Jefferson, Texas. Reservations are
(1)

08/14/2026

Our last weekend of tours (Today, Saturday, Sunday and Monday)! Then a break for a little while for knee surgery recovery! Don't miss booking a tour this weekend!

08/06/2026

Beginning Tuesday, August 18 through Thursday, October 1, Historic Tours of Jefferson Trolley Tour will be closed. Tommy (our one and only tour operator!) will be out with knee surgery. **If he is released to drive sooner, we will reopen prior to October 1.

07/21/2026

The Trolley Tour will be closed beginning Tuesday, July 21 through Wednesday, July 29. Our next tour will be Thursday, July 30 at 2pm. You may book directly online at www.tourjefferson.com

06/26/2026

In the 1870s, Jefferson, Texas was the sixth largest city in the state and the most important inland port west of the Mississippi River, a steamboat boomtown whose wealth and sophistication rivaled anything in the American South. Today most Texans have never heard of it. 🚢🏛️

Jefferson's rise was built entirely on the Red River Raft, a massive natural logjam on the Red River in Louisiana that backed water up into the Big Cypress Bayou and made Jefferson navigable by steamboats that would otherwise never have reached so far inland. The deep water the logjam created turned a remote East Texas location into a genuine river port, with iron foundries, gas lighting, ice factories, and a commercial district whose brick buildings reflected the serious money flowing through the bayou.

The end came when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared the Red River Raft in 1873, over Jefferson's strenuous objections. The water dropped. The steamboats stopped coming. Jefferson's commercial collapse was so swift that the subsequent poverty inadvertently preserved its antebellum architecture intact, making it today one of the best-preserved collections of pre-Civil War buildings in the American South.

Did you know Jefferson was once one of the most important cities in Texas? Drop a comment and follow for more forgotten Texas boom town stories. 👇

06/22/2026

We will be closed Monday, June 22 through Thursday, June 25 for some rest and relaxation. We will resume tours on Friday, June 26. Thank you!

04/14/2026

Historic Tours of Jefferson will be closed during the following times:
Friday, April 17 - Sunday, April 19 (car show weekend)
Monday, April 20 - Tuesday, April 28 (out of town/vacation)

We will resume tours on Wednesday, April 29 at 2pm. Thank you for your understanding!

02/21/2026

Historic Tours of Jefferson will be closed beginning Sunday, February 22 through Wednesday, March 4. We will resume trolley tours beginning Thursday, March 5. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

12/20/2025

The Trolley Tour will be closed beginning Sunday, December 28 through Thursday, January 15. We will reopen with our 4pm tour on Friday, January 16, 2026. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

12/03/2025

We are opening our home up for a fundraiser for Friends of Jefferson Animals (FOJA) in December. This will not conflict with Candlelight Home Tour, and we would love for everyone to stop by and support a worthy cause!

11/23/2025

Happy Thanksgiving Week! We will be closed this week (Monday-Thursday, November 24-27) to enjoy the holiday with our family. We will resume normal hours on Friday, November 28 with a 2pm and 4pm tour.

Address

217 W Lafayette Street
Jefferson, TX
75657

Telephone

+19036650359

Website

http://www.tourjefferson.com/

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