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Back in October I was I had some free time for a quick mini road trip. I decided that the trip should be no more than a couple hours from the house and be away from the house no longer than half the day. So decided to do a North Texas Mini Road Trip. I traveled from Sherman, Texas to Paris, Texas on HWY 56 and HWY 82 stopping at different locations along the way. Eventually this trip and more images of these locations will be shared on this website and on Vanishing Texas.
North Texas Mini Road Trip – HWY 56 Sherman to Paris, Texas – The Plan
Years ago, I made several trips several road trips along HWY 56 and HWY 82 from Sherman to Paris. During those trips I only stop at a few stops. For this trip I wanted to hit almost everything abandoned or agricultural related that I could. Then spend some time in several of the local downtowns photographing their main street buildings. Then finish up the trip at the Paris Eiffel Tower and Red River Valley Veterans Military Museum.
North Texas Mini Road Trip – HWY 56 Sherman to Paris, Texas – The Trip
The trip was success. I had a lot of good photos. There are several places I couldn’t get photos because the buildings were blocked or there were people hanging out nearby. So, I will have to make the trip again and get some shots that I missed out on. I was able to spend about 30 minutes in Honey Grove, Texas shooting downtown. I still have another visit or two get the rest of downtown, several of the churches, and cool old houses.
Old Service Station near Bells, Texas
Old building on a rural highway between Sherman and Bells, Texas. HWY 56 use to be the main highway between Sherman and Paris, Texas. During this time, small mom and pop grocery and service stations supported travelers and those living nearby. These little shops made it easier for people get the supplies, food, and fuel without have to drive into a big city or into a larger town to get what they needed. But when HWY 82 opened up, most of the through traffic moved stayed on that larger faster highway. As time went on these little shops closed down or were repurposed for other uses.
Old Service Station in Savoy, Texas
This looks like it was originally a service station. Its large enough that it may have been a small grocery store or country grill in the building as well. But over time the business was closed and the building was repurposed. It looks like it was recently being used. Not sure of its story.
The Bonham Drive-In
All that remains of the old Bonham Drive-In is this gorgeous vintage sign. The drive-in was opened July 11th, 1950 and was in operation until at least 1977. I believe the original owner was H.S. Cole. Today an auction company owns the property. Since my last visit the sign has had some renovations. Make sure to check out my original article to see more pictures.
Old Silos and Grain Elevator in Windom, Texas
These old silos sit along the rail line and can be seen from the highway. On the other side of the silos and other buildings are 100s of acres of farm land. I’m not sure if this is a private outfit or a community setup. If anyone knows more, please comment below or contact me via the contact form.
Brown’s Feed and Grain Store – Honey Grove, Texas
I was told Sybil Brown owned the store and it was in operation until about 10 or 15 years ago. The store sits just west of town and been closed for years. You can see more evidence of this in the downtown area. A lot of the old buildings sit empty and forgotten. I have ton of pictures to edit from this trip and will share them at some point. Make sure to check out the pictures I took during my last visit to Honey Grove.
Paris Texas Eiffel Tower
If you are in the Paris, Texas Area you need to stop by the Paris Texas Eiffel Tower. It is a smaller scale version of the Paris Eiffel Tower with a big cowboy hat. It’s located at 2025 S Collegiate Dr., Paris, TX 75460. More pictures and information coming soon.
Red River Valley Veterans Museum
Sitting next to the Paris Texas Eiffel Tower is the museum. It was built to honor past, current, and future veterans. It’s an impressive setup and worth a quick look if you are there to see the tower.
May it remind future generations and us that this freedom we enjoy is not free. Our nation must be protected from forces, both outside and within, that would deny us our liberty. – – Red River Valley Veterans Memorial Museum Website.
About the Images
The North Texas Road Trip was shot on a dark, gloomy, and rainy afternoon. I used my Sony a6000 and my Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens. The images were then edited with Adobe Lightroom CC and Topaz Labs Denoise AI and Topaz Labs Sharpen AI and DXO NIK Collection
About James
Thahks that looks like a neat place