Day 4 of Eastbound, with the Hammer Down … Not Really! – Texas to Arkansas

For those of you that don't know ... I collect Campbell Soup items, in addition to my salt and pepper shakers. My Mom was big into Campbell Soup Items. I have quite a bit, but it must be able to be displayed or used in the kitchen, the only exception is the annual Christmas ornaments. I noticed on our way in yesterday, that there was a Campbell's Plant in Paris. I have since learned that Campbell's began operating its Paris facility in 1964, a year before I was born! 

The company currently produces Campbell’s Select Harvest, Campbell’s Chunky, Campbell’s Healthy Request and Campbell’s Red and White condensed soups, Swanson broths, Prego pasta sauce, Pace salsa and V8 juices. They have an almost 2-million-square-foot facility. Campbell employs over 1,200 people at the Paris plant. Too bad their production facilities are not open to the public, I would have loved a tour!

Also, you can't be in Paris and not see the Eiffel Tower! Did you know there are 17 towns in the US with the name of Paris? But only Paris, Texas and Paris, Tennessee are the only ones to have a large Eiffel Tower replica. Of course, the Eiffel Tower in Texas has a cowboy hat on top!


We departed Spencer's RV Park north of Paris, Texas this morning to an overcast sky and light rain. We traveled south on 271 for about 2-miles and then got back on US 82 heading east.

In its heyday, Blossom was famous for its mineral wells, which numbered around one hundred. The water was of such a good quality, because of the many different minerals it contained, that it was advertised widely as a cure-all for various diseases. A bathhouse was built for people to bathe, in the "healing water". People came from near and far to utilize the bathhouse or just to drink some of the water that they believed would make them healthier. Hotels sprang up to accommodate these visitors. Hotels at that time were The Burke, Sharp, Guthrie & Lamar. Several of the businesses in Blossom that were here in the early years were constructed from brick that was manufactured at the two brick plants in the town. One of the buildings built from" Blossom brick" is still standing and currently houses a hardware store. The two story structure was built originally to be used as a bank, with a telephone office being located on the second floor. In later years, it served as a post office.

Clarksville doesn't have much to offer for travelers, but there is some neat history there. Clarksville is actually one of the oldest cities in Texas. It came into being in 1837, but was already an established settlement in the 1820s. Another influential figure to come out of Clarksville was Charles DeMorse. He began publishing The Northern Standard, one of the Republic's first newspapers, in 1842. A true confederate, he changed the name of the paper to simply The Standard when he believed the Union got too pushy. Clarksville also has the distinction of being one of the only towns in the state that never suffered through a fire. Consequently, the courthouse contains records from the beginning of the Republic until today. 

One of the biggest events ever in the town of about 1,700 people, was when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, Ricky Nelson with six other passengers died in the New Year's Eve crash near their town of De Kalb, Texas. The remains of Nelson's plane sit in a little visited museum as a reminder of the day the town was thrust into the national spotlight. The Williams House Museum it is right on Route 82. It is a 1885 Texas & Pacific Railroad Section House filled with memorabilia from the residents of De Kalb. The museum has been created and is staffed by volunteers. Besides the tail section of Ricky Nelson of the Stone Canyon Band, exhibits include Dan Blocker (Hoss) of Bonanza fame; Huddie Leadbetter (Leadbelly) "De Kalb Blues"; American League Umpire Durwood Merrill (1938-2003); Boston Red Sox's coach Rac Slider; former State Represenative Barry B. Telford; Pittsburg Pirates Luke Walker (pitched the first World Series Night Game against the Dodgers in 1971); and many others.

Boston was named for an early storekeeper in the settlement, WJ Boston. The coming of the railroads led to the location of two more Bostons. A depot was built about four miles north of Boston and was named New Boston. The first Boston then became Old Boston. The courthouse was moved to Texarkana in the early 1880's but a later election carried to move the courthouse back to the geographic center of the county. This location was between the Bostons. The Post Office Department named this location Boston, so Bowie County has claim to three Bostons; New Boston, Boston. and Old Boston. 

As we drove through New Boston, they were just getting set up for "The Hottest Festival in Texas" the New Boston Pioneer Days Festival. It is a 4 day event held annually at T&P Trail Head Park & Pavilion. This is also the future site of the Three Bostons Museum.

Running along side US 82 are Union Pacific railway tracks. Also, the Red River Army Depot and the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant are located on the other side of the tracks, in Hooks Texas. The tracks are used to load and transport the equipment. Charlie was reminiscing about an annual training at Red River Army Depot with the 134th Maintenance Company. Wow, that was a long time ago!

We crossed into Arkansas by driving down State Line Ave. We had a gift card to Albertson's and I found one in Texarkana Arkansas. State Line Ave is what separates Texas and Arkansas. As you drive down the road, there are Texas flags on one side of the road and Arkansas flags on the other. It is pretty cool! I could not get a clear picture of it, but here is a picture at the courthouse.

We crossed over the Red River, which looked swollen from the recent rains.

 We ran across a train derailment along US 82 west of Lewisville. The derailment occurred on Sunday around 11:30 am, we drove by on Wednesday a full three days after the derailment. It was reported that thirty-two of the cars derailed. Investigators with Union Pacific are still trying to determine the cause. Along with the derailment comes several hundred feet of damaged rails. The cars were carrying frac sand which is not hazardous. Frac sand is a natural product made from sandstone. The crews were still working on clearing the accident.

We arrived in Magnolia Arkansas, to spend the night at Magnolia RV Park. A small park with a pond, grassy area between sites, woods, river rock roads and sites. This will be our home for one night.