Bed and Breakfast Capital of Texas (Jefferson nickname)

The city of Jefferson in Marion County was designated by the Texas Legislature in 1997 as the “Bed and Breakfast Capital of (East) Texas.” The small town of under 3,000 people has about 60 bed and breakfasts.
 
 
Handbooks of Texas Online
JEFFERSON, TEXAS (Marion County). Jefferson, the county seat of Marion County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 49, on Big Cypress Creek and Caddo Lake in the south central portion of the county. It was named for Thomas Jefferson when it was founded in the early 1840s by Allen Urquhart and Daniel Alley.
 
Jefferson, Texas & Marion County Chamber of Commerce
Step back in time to…
JEFFERSON, TEXAS
A unique history, a different Texas 1800’s Jefferson, Texas resembled Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri more than it did its Texas neighbors to the West. Instead of ranchers and cowboys there were lumbermen, riverboat captains and dockhands.  In fact, the earliest settlers probably didn’t consider themselves Texans. Marion County became part of the United States territories because of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
                                                                                                                         
Jefferson and Marion County treat visitors to a geographic wonderland. There are bayous, swamps, alligators and eagles. Texas two most beautiful lakes are within our borders. Caddo Lake, the only natural lake in Texas, is home to the world’s largest cypress forest.  Spanish moss hanging from these ancient trees creates an aquatic scene that has inspired cinema producers to film many movies in these waterways. Tall loblolly pines and hardwoods tower above the shores of Lake O’ the Pines.  Nature enthusiasts love to observe wildlife on this lake, especially the eagles.
 
Jefferson abounds in history.  Historical markers are everywhere.  There are many museums. Three churches worship in sanctuaries built well over a century ago.The Excelsior House has been host to five United States presidents including Ulysses S. Grant. Many Greek Revival and antebellum homes have been converted into inns that earn Jefferson its reputation as The Bed and Breakfast Capital of East Texas. Tours of the city, its cemeteries and neighboring waterways demonstrate a rich Civil War history.
   
Texas Yes!
JEFFERSON
Destination:
Jefferson, “Riverport to the Southwest”
Where You’ll Find It:
Piney Woods Region; 50 miles west of Shreveport, Louisiana and south of Texarkana. (Marion County)
Texans Who Call This Home:
2,200
Snapshot:
A thriving 1800s riverport, the ambience remains with bed and breakfasts, historic hotels and museums, antiques and collectibles, riverboat cruises, steam train rides and ghostly encounters.
Did You Know:
In the 1800s Jefferson resembled Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri more than it did its Texas neighbors to the west. Instead of ranchers and cowboys there were lumbermen, riverboat captains and dockhands. In fact, the earliest settlers probably didn’t consider themselves Texans. Marion County became part of the U.S. territories because of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
 
Austin Chronicle
HOME: FEBRUARY 25, 2000: BOOKS
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Jefferson may only claim 2,200 people, “but there’s a ‘but’ to that,” Patrick says, because Jefferson is the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Texas. There are more than 66 bed-and-breakfast establishments there. 

Official Capital Designations - Texas State Library
Bed and Breakfast Capital of Texas
Jefferson
House Concurrent Resolution No. 3, 75th Legislature, Regular Session (1997)