Lakes Trail Region

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Business in Greenville boomed in the 1880s as six railroads shipped local cotton to distant markets. In fact, Greenville boasted the world's largest inland cotton compress, which set a record in 1912 by processing 2,073 bales of cotton in 10 hours. The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum proudly displays the engine of that compress, along with other county history exhibits. The museum also chronicles the life of native son Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II. The museum’s 1850s Ende-Gaillard House, furnished with period pieces, depicts the refined lives of an early German immigrant. Downtown the 1929 Art Moderne-style Hunt County Courthouse anchors the courthouse square. A historical walking tour offers the backstory about downtown historical structures that now house eateries and wineries, antique shops and boutiques and music venues. Depression-era federal funds built the nearby 1939 Art Deco-style Municipal Auditorium, which staged musical stars from Duke Ellington to Elvis Presley. It still hosts live shows, including the Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series, named for the Greenville native who became a roots music legend in Austin.