Clarksville is actually one of the oldest cities in Texas, coming into being in 1837, but already an established settlement in the 1820s. However, because of confusing boundary lines carved out of the Louisiana Purchase, surveyors placed it in Miller County, Arkansas.
After independence, the U.S. government ceded the area to the Texas Republic. Red River County citizen Albert Latimer was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Another influential area figure was Charles DeMorse. He began publishing the Northern Standard, one of the Republic's first newspapers, in 1842, but 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.
Settlement of Red River County began about 1814 when the Anglo-Americans began to move into the region then occupied by Caddo, Kickapoo, Shawnee and Delaware Indians. Burkham Settlement was founded in 1814 by James Burkham and others. In 1816, Claiborne Wright made a settlement north of Red River at Pecan Point. Jourdan J. Ward and his sons crossed the river from Pecan Point to locate in the Riverview area.
Jonesboro, founded in 1817, became the largest of the early settlements. As created by the Republic of Texas in 1836, the original county, which extended east and west along the south bank of the Red River approximately 350 miles and from north and south 50 to 100 miles, contained all or parts of 39 present counties. The creation of the other counties between 1836 and 1847 reduced the area of Red River County to its present size.
Clarksville enjoys a mild climate throughout the year with an average annual temperature of 65.8 degrees and an average relative humidity of 50% with an annual average rainfall of 45.2 inches. The monthly average high temperature in July is 72 degrees, with an average low in January of 40 degrees.
In 2003 Clarksville was officially designated as a "Texas Main Street City." They've already received a grant to restore the old courthouse and have plans to open several museums.
Public schools in Clarksville include Clarksville Elementary, Cheatham Middle School and Clarksville High School. Nearby colleges and universities include Texas A&M University-Commerce, Tyler Junior College, Kilgore College, the University of Texas at Tyler and others.
Hospitals and medical centers in and near Clarksville include East Texas Medical Center, McCurtain Memorial Hospital, Titus County Memorial Hospital and East Texas Medical Center Mount Vernon.
Recreational opportunities in the area include the Prairies and Pineywoods Wildlife Trail, Caddo National Grasslands, Coffeemill Lake, Lake Crockett, Lake Fannin, Gambill Goose Refuge, the Pat Mayse Dam - Moist Soil Unit, Greenwood, Lennox Woods Preserve, Langford Lake and others.
Just north of Clarksville is Lennox Woods, a 374-acre virgin forest donated to the Nature Conservancy of Texas by the Lennox Foundation. These woods were preserved by the Lennox family for 4 generations.
In 2003 Clarksville was officially designated as a "Texas Main Street City." They've already received a grant to restore the old courthouse and have plans to open several museums.
Public schools in Clarksville include Clarksville Elementary, Cheatham Middle School and Clarksville High School. Nearby colleges and universities include Texas A&M University-Commerce, Tyler Junior College, Kilgore College, the University of Texas at Tyler and others.
Hospitals and medical centers in and near Clarksville include East Texas Medical Center, McCurtain Memorial Hospital, Titus County Memorial Hospital and East Texas Medical Center Mount Vernon.
Recreational opportunities in the area include the Prairies and Pineywoods Wildlife Trail, Caddo National Grasslands, Coffeemill Lake, Lake Crockett, Lake Fannin, Gambill Goose Refuge, the Pat Mayse Dam - Moist Soil Unit, Greenwood, Lennox Woods Preserve, Langford Lake and others.
Just north of Clarksville is Lennox Woods, a 374-acre virgin forest donated to the Nature Conservancy of Texas by the Lennox Foundation. These woods were preserved by the Lennox family for 4 generations.