• HOTELS
• Holiday Inn Express, 2313 SE Loop, Carthage, TX 75633, 903 694-9075, Reservations 1-800-HOLIDAY, FAX 903 694-9001, WI-FI Hotspot, Deluxe Continental Breakfast, 50 rooms, built in 2000.
• Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites - opening August 2008!
• Best Western Inn, 2332 SE Loop, Carthage, TX 903 694-2809, continental breakfast, swimming pool
• Western Twelve Oaks Motel, 2298 SE Loop Hwy 59, Carthage, TX 75633, 903 693-7828, FAX 903 693-7311, Free Continental Breakfast, email, 75 rooms, built in 1980.
• Economy Inn Motel, 395 S. Shelby, Carthage, TX 75633, 903 693-5751, 13 rooms
• Pineview Motel, 802 N. St. Mary, Carthage, TX 75633, 903 693-3047, 10 rooms
• Murvaul Marina Cottages, FM 1234 Lake Murvaul, Carthage, TX 75633 903 693-9301
• CAMPING & RV PARK INFORMATION
• Carthage RV Campground, 1294 NE Loop, Carthage, TX 75633 903 693-6640 29 sites with full hook-ups
• River Ridge Campground & RV Park, CR 831 (12 miles past loop on FM 699), 903 693-4441, 26 RV sites and 6 cabins with water, electricity, sewer, concrete boat ramp on the Sabine River, quiet location
• Panola County Fresh Water District RV Park & Campgrounds - 154 CR 1839, located off FM 1234 at the Lake Murvaul Marina, 903 693-6562, 65 full hook-up RV sites with garbage pick-up, $325/mo, $20/night, $16/senior discount; tent camping $5/night/tent or can camp on RV site for RV rates; laundromat, bathroom, showers; Pavilion rental $100/day, has kitchen, bathrooms, picnic tables, $50 deposit; winter rentals $125/day (includes heat).
• Rock Hill Bed & Bale RV Park and Arena - 121 CR 263, Beckville, TX 75631, 903 678-3538 Located in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. All slots are by the water. Wake up to horses grazing, fish flopping and quiet country atmosphere. The RV park is nestled in a rustic country setting along a five acre lake. Full hook ups with 50 amp. Bring your fishing pole and relax while you fish on our private 5 acre lake. Includes horse hotel, boarding stables, covered riding arena, play day events. email

• Panola College - Established in 1947, Panola College has greatly expanded its services to meet community needs and to provide a wide range of educational and training opportunities to citizens of all ages.
• George W. Pirtle Scout Reservation - Covering more than 600 thickly wooded acres, Camp Pirtle is nestled in the tall pines surrounding Lake Murvaul and is one of the best equipped reservations in the country. Located near Gary, Texas, in Panola County, Camp Pirtle has 4.5 miles of shoreline and provides some of the finest nature on earth. It also has one of the best C.O.P.E. courses in the nation. The F.M. Arnold Family Camping Area was completed in 1981 to offer eight campsites and RV hookups for Scout families. Address: Rt. 1, Box 95A, Gary, TX 75643; 903 693-3286
• Country Music Hayride - Held at the historic Esquire Theatre in downtown Carthage. Every Saturday night live country and gospel music begins at 7:00 pm. Admission is $6.00. For more information, contact Rick Dison at 903 693-4264 or 903 693-6117.

• Texas Country Music Hall of Fame & Tex Ritter Museum, 310 W. Panola, Carthage, TX 75633, 903 694-9561, museum hours 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday Ð Saturday. A life-size bronze statue of Panola County native Tex Ritter and his horse White Flash welcome you to the Hall of Fame and Museum. Just inside the front entrance are the Hall of Fame Gift Shop and the main entrance to the museum. This museum honors native Texans who are country music legends, songwriters and disc jockeys. The museum showcases fascinating memorabilia of all the members of the Hall of Fame. The Tex Ritter section of the museum includes items from Tex Ritter's home. Native son Jim Reeves' section highlights the authentic radio station equipment that Reeves used in his early broadcasts.
• Texas Tea Room, 100 E. Sabine, Carthage, TX 75633 903 693- The restored building of the 1903 Bank of Carthage, located on the southwest corner of the downtown square houses the Panola County Heritage Museum and the Texas Tea Room, which serves delicious lunches in a nostalgic atmosphere to locals as well as tourists.
• Jim Reeves Memorial - "Gentleman" Jim Reeves, famous for his velvet voice, died in a plane crash on July 31, 1964. A life-sized sculpture of the famous singer marks his grave on a one-acre, tree-covered plot of ground three miles east of Carthage on U.S. Highway 79.
• Margie Neal Park - Located on the north corner of East Panola Street, it is a tribute to the Panola County native, Margie Elizabeth Neal. She was elected Texas' first woman senator in 1926.
• Panola County Historical Jail, 211 N. Shelby Street, Carthage, TX 75633. Thanks to the efforts of the Panola County Bicentennial Commission, in 1976 the Old Jail was registered as a National Historic Shrine. In the meantime, the building became deserted and suffered the destruction of time and vandalism. The Panola County Historical and Genealogical Association organized in 1987 and decided to turn the old jail into a family research center and mini-law enforcement and pioneer museum. At the time, the structure had little left except the walls, the iron front door and upstairs cells. In1966, U.S. Representative Wright Patman dedicated the Old Jail, the oldest building in Carthage, and a State Historical Medallion was placed on the front near the doorway. Contact info: 903 693-3388; email
• Davis Park - Built by the Youth Administration in 1937, this project was also part of the WPA of the 1930's. Its stone walls are common to the projects built during that era and are visible on the interior of the building as well. The park has a playground area and picnic tables plus a Community House that is rented by locals for family reunions as well as a variety of other functions. For rental information, contact Carthage City Hall: 903 693-3868
• Panola County Veterans Memorial - This monument was built in 2002 to pay tribute to our many local veterans who served our country in all the wars and foreign conflicts. This is also the site of the annual Veteran's Day memorial service. It is located on North Shelby Street, one block off the downtown square.
• The Miss Jane Library & Museum - located in downtown Beckville, the library and museum is dedicated to preserving the history, artifacts, genealogy, and family stories of its community. Since 1997, the library and museum has been located in the 1918 Beckville Continental Bank building.
• Sammy Brown Library - In 1948, a group of women formed a service group called the Carthage Junior League. The League wanted to improve the quality of life in their community by providing a library. Starting in 1958, these thirteen dedicated women raised over $10,000 through tireless effort and fundraisers and were finally able to purchase and open the Service League Library on a permanent basis in 1963. Much of the growth is attributed to the many generous donations from within the community. The most noteworthy contributor was the late Sammy Matthews Brown, a local businesswoman who gave generously both her time and money to make the library the success it is today. In 1991, before the death of Mrs. Brown in 1996, the members of the Service League unanimously agreed to rename the library in her honor.

Click the map to get directions.

• Lake Murvaul - Panola County Fresh Water District maintains four improved boat ramps and one fishing pier. Camping, picnic, swimming, childrenÕs area, and restroom facilities are available at some parks. Cabin rentals are also available. Located about 15 miles southwest of Carthage, TX, near Gary City, on FM 1970 and FM 1971 Lake Murvaul is fed by the Murvaul Bayou and numerous creeks and covers about 3,890 acres. Common fish species include largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bluegill, and redear sunfish. The Murvaul Resort and Marina features free launching ramps, waterfront gas, covered boat stalls, cottages and RV hookups.
• Martin Creek Lake State Park - On the border between Panola and Rusk counties, the lake features lakeside and woodland camping sites, picnic areas, island camping, boating, swimming, water skiing, backpacking, hiking cabins, screened enclosure, campsite, RV hookups, restrooms and showers. For more information, call 903-863-4336.
• The Sabine River - Its wooded bottomlands offer a multitude of recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy fishing, boating, canoeing, hunting, and camping. Boat ramps at bridges on U.S. Highways 59 and 79 and FM 2517 allow public access to the river. In addition, private hunting clubs and family camping sites are popular weekend activities for the people of Panola County.
• The Panola County Cattlemen's Association Rodeo - Held in May of each year, the rodeo showcases bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and other rodeo competitions. Other equestrian activities are available in the county, including 4-H sponsored youth competition.
• The Cotton Valley Country Club - Located on U.S. Highway 79 North, a nine-hole golf course is available to members, guests, and others participating in tournaments throughout the year, including the Keith Steptoe memorial Golf Tournament in April.

• Retiree Bob Harness states: "My wife and I had lived in Kansas City for 35 years and were ready to get out of the city into a more rural setting. We decided to make a road trip to East Texas – we picked out 17 towns between Paris and Lufkin to visit. Our choice needed to have big pine trees, a hospital and an airport close by, plus we wanted a house with a lake nearby. After an overnight stay in Carthage, we decided this is the place to be. The people are so friendly. . .it just felt like home right away. We discovered that the town was named "The Best Little Town in Texas," and it proved itself right. We love it here!"

10 Day Local Weather Forecast
Temperature: 61°F | Feels Like: 62°F
Sky Conditions: clear below 12,000 ft
Conditions: clear | Visibility: 10 mi
Last Updated: 05/09/2008 6:53 am