Lamar County

Duane's take

The way I tell it, this comes straight from the official record on Lamar County. Now settle in, because this one goes back to the very beginning of Texas as a republic. On December 17, 1840, Lamar County was created from Red River County, and by 1841 it was organized and open for business.

The county was named in honor of Mirabeau B. Lamar, born 1798, died 1859, and if those years don't already hint at a life that spanned something remarkable, consider what he left behind. The marker calls him the Father of Texas education.

And if that weren't enough, he served as President of the Republic of Texas from 1838 to 1841. Not the state of Texas, mind you. The Republic.

The man had a county named for him while the ink on the republic's maps was barely dry. Now, a county that important couldn't quite make up its mind about where to put its heart. Lafayette held the seat of county government in 1841.

Then Mount Vernon stepped up in 1843. And then came Paris, which, I'll point out, was originally called Pinhook, and took its turn as county seat in 1844. Three county seats in just a few years.

Some places spend a lifetime trying to find their center. Lamar County just kept auditioning. But a county named for the Father of Texas education, carved straight out of the frontier in 1840?

It was always going to find its way.

What the marker says

Created December 17, 1840 from Red River County. Organized in 1841. Named in honor of Mirabeau B. Lamar, 1798-1859. Father of Texas education. President of the Republic of Texas 1838-1841. Lafayette, 1841, Mount Vernon, 1843, Paris, originally called Pinhook, 1844, have served as county seat.