Holiday Inn SHERMAN, TX

The Fifth Industrial City of Texas

by VeronicaG

Sherman was once nicknamed "Fifth Industrial City of Texas*" in the mid-1920's when it was home to 54 industrial plants.

Cottonseed oil, flour and hardware were produced here, which helped it gain equality with the town of Denison, Texas as a rail center. Considering the competitive spirit between the two towns, this must have brought a good deal of pleasure to Sherman's residents!

In addition, there were '32 wholesale establishments, 410 businesses, six private academies and colleges, as well as six public elementary schools and two public high schools. The city was known to be one of Texas's leading educational and industrial centers'.

By the 1990's the town maintained about 40 companies, which produced items such as clothing, rifles, coffee, meats, hospital products and electronic components'.

*in terms of value of annual production it was actually ranked 6th

For more history see www.tshaonline.org

Sherman, Texas--Home of The Red River Museum

by VeronicaG

"A Quiet Place on Saturday Afternoon"

We arrived in Sherman, Texas after 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. Perhaps not the best time to visit since most businesses circling town square were already closed for the day.

However, we stopped by the Kelly Square shops which were open and the Antique Mall, whose three levels of wares kept us occupied for a time. After determining which view of the courthouse was to its best advantage, I snapped a few photos then we drove a couple blocks to the Red River Museum. In no time at all, two hours had passed before we made the decision to retrace our steps and proceed to McKinney, Texas for dinner.

Sherman, Texas is the seat for Grayson County and sits along US 75, approximately an hour and a half from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Apparently it is quite busy during the week as both the County Courthouse and Federal Courthouse draw many to town for business.

Established in 1846, the town was named after Sidney Sherman, a leader from the Battle of San Jacinto. It was once a vigorous place of commerce with multiple schools of learning located here. Austin College continues to offer college degrees. It was the first Texas institution to offer graduate and law degrees and was the first to have a national fraternity.

Infamous desperadoes, like Jesse James and William Quantrill moved in and out of Sherman often. The town suffered destruction from two fires in 1875 requiring a good part of the town to be rebuilt and in 1930 the courthouse was destroyed during the Sherman Riot (see tips).

While visiting this small Texas town, we encountered some very friendly people, but were disappointed that there was not much to waylay visitors that Saturday afternoon. Coming to the rescue--The Red River Museum!!

Note to self: if visiting again, arrive before 2pm!