| Before the American settlers,
the Caddo Indians made the green rolling country known as Northeast Texas their
home enjoying the streams and lakes, the endless forest, the warm climate and
bountiful rains. Numerous village sites and burial grounds of the Caddo
Indian have been located in Titus County, on Ripley Creek, Harts Creek, Blundell
Creek, Swannano Creek and at Dellwood Park. Titus County was, perhaps, the last
home of Indians in the Northeast Texas area and the Caddo Indians resided in the
area as late as 1845. Mount Pleasant, located in the heart of the Northeast
Texas region was founded on May 11, 1848. John Binion, Sr., Richard Moore and
L. Gilbert laid off a forty-eight block town site to serve as the county seat
for Titus County, which was created by a legislative act on May 11, 1846. The
County was named for pioneer resident Andrew Jackson Titus (1814-1855), the man
who opened the county's first road to the river port in Jefferson. Caddo
Indian legend credits the name of the city to mounds in and near the original
town site - mounds constructed by a prehistoric race. Red mineral springs had
always attracted Indians to the area and nearby a great mound became famous among
the Caddos. They called it in their language, "Pleasant Mound". Early
American settlers took up the name, calling the general area Pleasant Mount, finally
Mount Pleasant. In the early 1800's, Mount Pleasant's economy centered around
farming and the large supply of hardwood trees. Following the Civil War the neglected
farms soon were back to normal production with cotton "king" once again. Mount
Pleasant acquired its first railroad in 1878, the "Tyler Tap", a three
foot gauge line. The Texas & St. Louis Railway Company acquired the Tyler
Tap in 1870 and during the next few years connected with a through line from St.
Louis to Waco, Texas. In 1887 a branch line was built from Mount Pleasant to Sherman,
Texas. Some years later, the Paris and Mount Pleasant Railway Company gave the
region still another rail outlet. All entered into helping Mount Pleasant become
the "Hub of Northeast Texas". TITUS COUNTY CEMETERIES
- www.tituscemeteries.com
TITUS
COUNTY HISTORY - www.titushistory.com
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