Members of the Lamar County Historical Commission gathered Tuesday afternoon to dedicate a Texas Historical Commission marker at First Federal Community Bank, 630 Clarksville St., in Paris.
Local historial Skipper Steely claims censorship at the Paris Public Library after historical sketches by Texas artist Jose Cesneros of El Paso were removed from public display.
Downtown Christmas parade Saturday, Tree of Angels for crime victims dedication Sunday and Christmas at the Museums and Wassail Fest on Dec. 11 discussed Monday at Lamar County Commissioners’ Court.
Decades of history, resilience and pride live at the intersection of 5th Street NE and East Tudor Street. Known to many as Guestâs Corner, the neighborhood was a bustling hub for the Black community in Paris dating back to the 1920s when Paris was segregated and Black residents and business owners founded a place for themselves in an often hostile environment.
âWe called it âLittle Black Paris,ââ said Mary Desmond, who spent her youth at Guestâs Corner.
Paris native Elbert Desmond, Maryâs husband of 65 years, said the land was gifted to the community by a businessman, George Guest, for whom the neighborhood is named, in the early 20th century, and Black businesses began to flourish there through the 1950s.
A researchers quest led her to The Paris News, where one reporter in the 1930s stood up to defend the rights of a Black football player, Lou Montgomery, who was