PARIS, Texas -- Ahhh, Paris. Not that one. I've been to that one, with its perilous street crossings and crowded Metro, but that was in the '80s.
Read the dateline. I'm talking Paris, Texas, 2007. Population: about 26,000.
"Go beyond the Eiffel Tower," is etched on a bobblehead depicting the well-known replica of the European monument at our Paris' Love Civic Center.
Follow the advice, and you might try a real soda, find funky fashions and get a sandwich at a bakery where the bread is made fresh daily.
Stay in town overnight if you want to take in as much as possible.
Start at the Lamar County Historical Museum, spearheaded by Dr. William Hayden, a local philanthropist and art lover. Museum volunteers such as Dale Miller and Pat Brooks can help make sense of the artifacts that tell the story of a town that burned at least twice (1877 and 1916) and was hit by a tornado that made national headlines in 1982.
Pay close attention to the names in the county museum because they'll pop up again as you tour.
Unlike Paris, France, this Paris is compact. There are shops and restaurants spread all around, but many stores are concentrated in the downtown area.
The town has plenty of historical sites. On most days, you can walk up and ring the doorbell of the former home of Civil War Gen. Samuel Bell Maxey and be greeted by curator Kyle McGrogan.
Regardless of your views on the Civil War, the Confederate soldier has an interesting back story. Maxey was a bit of a slacker while a student at West Point, where he was the roommate of Thomas Jonathan Jackson (later nicknamed "Stonewall"). After Maxey's military career, he was a state and U.S. senator. His house, built in 1868, displays an inkwell with stone from the Alamo.
But the Alamo and the history surrounding it belong to San Antonio. Perhaps the defining moment in Paris history was the 1916 fire.
Nobody knows for sure what caused the blaze that burned about 70 percent of the city. "They think it was steam engines since it started near the railroad tracks," says the museum's Miller.
John James Culbertson and his wife were among the residents who helped lead the rebuilding of Paris after the fire. In 1927, he gave the city the fountain that stands in the square downtown.
A lamp in Maxey's house is made with some of the marble from the building of that fountain.
McGrogan emphasizes that the home is important to Texas and U.S. history, not just Paris history. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971.
McGrogan says he eventually wants to educate visitors about the people who lived in the home whose stories are never told: the servants. Photos of some are displayed, but there's no identifying information.
"We need to keep digging," he says.
Walk through the house and notice silver water services brought from Mexico in the 1800s, a worn couch on which one of Maxey's dogs is said to have loitered, and a multitude of mirrors. They weren't for vanity. In the era before electricity, they distributed sunlight. The lights in the house were gaslights installed in the 1880s and later reconfigured for electricity.
The house barely escaped the 1916 blaze. "The fire actually stopped at the back fence line," McGrogan says.
If you take time to chat with the museum docents, you surely will learn about the man buried beneath the "Jesus in Cowboy Boots" monument in Evergreen Cemetery. Willet Babcock was born in 1828 in Ithaca, N.Y., and came to Paris from Indiana in 1859. He organized the first volunteer fire company in Paris, was an undertaker, owned an opera house and built furniture. He died in 1881.
To some people, his grave marker could look like Jesus in the heeled shoes a cowpuncher would wear. But the issue isn't settled. Nobody knows the art's inspiration, and some locals say the figure is an angel.
After looking at the stone art, head downtown to the Plaza Art Gallery where you'll find two floors of beautifully detailed oil paintings, watercolors, sculptures, mixed media and photos of children, nature and more for sale.
"The art is all locally produced," says Quint Creighton, a member of the Artists Guild of Paris, the group that helps with the gallery.
By appointment, art lovers can visit the William and Elizabeth Hayden Museum of American Art and get a guided tour by Dr. Hayden.
Plaza Art's Creighton refers me to Paris Bakery, a shop that makes its bread on site and has pastries, bagels, sandwiches, soups, salads and, of course, coffee.
But I'm not hungry, so I stroll up the street to Back In Time to browse its antiques and collectibles. Among the shop's offerings is a Mickey Mantle-signed baseball ($325), Elvis memorabilia and bobbleheads of Shaq and George W. Bush (from his days as an owner of the Texas Rangers).
You don't need to go thirsty as you browse. A soda fountain brought from Crescent Drug in Mount Vernon, Texas, still serves treats. Brenda Smyers, a Back In Time co-owner, mixed me a sugar-free chocolate shake, and I didn't miss the sugar.
"Come to think of it," Smyers says, "the fountain may be the oldest thing in here."
Back In Time's sodas are the real deal: carbonated water, flavoring, milk and ice cream with whipped cream on top.
A few steps away is Spangler's, in business 65 years.
"We do a lot of bridal business," says Stella Nance, who has owned the shop for 14 years.
After you pick your china pattern, you can take your pick of fragrances and aromatherapy items.
Want Texas A&M flip-flops that light up while you walk? A bottle opener that plays the University of Texas fight song? Spangler's has them all.
After all that shopping, I'm hungry and head to Paris Bakery. I arrive at 2:10, 10 minutes after closing time.
But owner and baker Kit Lindsey offers me a Morning Bun. "They're good for any time of the day," he says.
Up the street and around the corner, I browse clothes in the window of Cherish All Good Things. I'm surprised to find antiques and collectibles when I walk in. Toward the back, I find the clothes.
The owner's daughter, Michelle Brown, sells her own clothing line, Mimi Chica, at the store, clerk Tonia Sykes says.
Try or buy Brown's petite designs, but don't leave without a "Bonjour, y'all" souvenir T-shirt "with bling" or "without bling," as noted on the tag on top of the piles. Of course, the Eiffel Tower is pictured.
The 65-foot-tall tower itself is a temptation. But it's plainly posted: "DO NOT CLIMB ON EIFFEL TOWER. IT IS AN UNSAFE ACTIVITY."
When you're ready to call it a day, fortify yourself at Road House on Main Street. The cheeseburger is so filling that you may not be able to finish it, and it comes with a choice of fresh-cut or frozen fries. Fish and a salad bar also are offered.
IF YOU GO:
ATTRACTIONS:
Lamar County Historical Museum -- Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Contact: 903-783-0064.
Sam Bell Maxey House -- Special events are planned for the holidays. Contact: 903-785-5716; www.maxeyhouse.org.
Plaza Art Gallery -- Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. Contact: 903-737-9699; www.theplazagallery.com.
William and Elizabeth Hayden Museum of American Art -- Art to browse. By appointment. Contact: 903-785-1925.
Cherish All Good Things -- Antiques and clothes. Contact: 903-783-0234.
Spangler's -- Gifts and souvenirs. Contact: 903-784-2524.
Pat Mayse Lake -- 12 miles north of Paris; 903-732-3020.
Bywaters Park -- 300 block of Main Street.
WHERE TO EAT:
Road House, 2315 N. Main St.; 903-785-9115.
Paris Bakery, 120 N. Main St.; 903-784-1331.
Back In Time, 101 Grand Ave.; 903-783-0021.
INFORMATION: Paris Visitors and Convention Council, 1125 Bonham St.; 903-784-2501; www.paristexas.com.
First Published: September 17, 2007, 4:00 a.m.