THE COURTHOUSE HAD THREE FACES

Centuries before Mount Pleasant was established in 1848, Caddo Indians called the rolling hills of Northeast Texas home, attracted by the red mineral springs that later brought resort visitors to the area. The town’s name evolved from the Caddo description of a “pleasant mound.” Thanks to several railroad lines, Mount Pleasant became the “Hub of Northeast Texas,” with an economy based on agribusiness, industry, and water recreation at Lakes Bob Sandlin, Monticello and Welsh. If you like flora and fauna, visit in the springtime when daffodils blanket the area and the self-guided Northeast Texas Bluebird Trail follows nesting places along county roads. There’s also plenty to see in this Texas Main Street City’s downtown district. Gift shops, antiques stores and tearooms along brick-paved streets beckon visitors inside. It’s hard to miss the large “Drink Dr Pepper” mural, restored by local artist David Freeman on an exterior wall of Jo’s Antiques, a red brick building dating to 1894. Stop by the Titus County Courthouse, a building with multiple personalities. Built of brick in 1897, the courthouse was covered in stucco and altered to the Art Deco style in 1940. Altered again in the 1960s, the structure was restored to its 1940s appearance in the 1990s. Other heritage sites on the courthouse square include the Titus County Veterans Memorial, the Bell Tower, and the Confederate Monument. One block north of the square is the Mount Pleasant Historical Museum in the city library, where you’ll find pioneer photographs, Caddo artifacts, and antique farm equipment. Saturday nights bring Country/Western shows to Pleasant Jamboree, a live performance stage housed in a renovated 1913 movie theater.