Site of Lafayette
Paris, Lamar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of Lafayette -- First county seat of Lamar County - A clapboard courthouse was built by John Lovejoy on 40 acres donated by John Watson - Here court was held June, 1841, to June, 1843 - John A. Rutherford, chief justice; John R. Craddock, county clerk -- Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1841, when Lamar County was newly organized in the young Republic of Texas, a plain clapboard courthouse rose on forty donated acres and became the county's first seat of government, a place called Lafayette. For two years justice was dispensed here under chief justice John A. Rutherford before the seat moved on and the town faded away. The State of Texas marked the spot in 1936 during its centennial, memorializing a vanished frontier community.
Why it matters
It captures how quickly frontier governance took root in Republic-era Texas and how many early county seats were founded, flourished briefly, and then disappeared as settlement shifted.
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Related people
- · John Lovejoy
- · John Watson
- · John A. Rutherford
- · John R. Craddock
Related events
- · Founding of Lamar County
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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