Excelsior House, Jefferson, Texas Poster

"Excelsior House, Jefferson, Texas" by Catherine Sherman. Wrought iron chairs provide a cool, restful spot in the shade at the entrance of the Excelsior House in historic Jefferson, Texas. The Excelsior was built in the 1850s and has been in continuous operation ever since, making it the oldest hotel in East Texas, according to the National Register of Historic Places. Among the famous guests of the hotel were Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Jay Gould, and Lady Bird Johnson. Oscar Wilde was also a guest there when he was in Jefferson to recite poetry at the opera house. Excelsior Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and part of Jefferson Historic District.