Clarksville

Clarksville is the commercial center and county seat of Red River County, one of original Texas counties created in 1836 and organized 1837. From its original area all or part of 38 other counties were created. Clarksville was founded 1834 by Capt. James Clark. Sam Houston Park on F.M. 410 in the northern part of the county has markers commemorating the grave of Jane Chandler Gill, the oldest known Anglo grave in Texas, the site of Sam Houston’s entry into Texas, and the town of Jonesboro, one of first Anglo settlements in Texas. “Victorian” describes business district on square, with the oldest structures dating from 1885.

Just north of the city 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 four generations. The area is not open for tours, but the woods are visible from the road.

The area is also known as the eastern “Wild Turkey Capitol of Texas” with hunting leases available.