Pittsburg History
W. H. Pitts came to Texas in 1854, and the following year settled on a tract of land, most of which is now comprised within the corporate limits of the town bearing his name. "Major" Pitts, as he is now called, was then a young, vigorous man full of hope. He came to Texas to make his home. His first move was to secure title to enough land to begin a farm, and immediately upon locating land, he bought a tract of 200 acres, put up his primitive log cabin and started a "clearing." Growing as the county grew, his original patch in the woods spread out until he was the owner of many acres, and a large and prosperous farmer. The town of Pittsburg sprang up, starting, as most country towns, a mere crossroads place, but grew in importance until a regularly laid out settlement with a name became necessary. And taking the name from a prominent settler, it became Pittsburg.
It was 22 miles to the county seat of Gilmer. When the creeks would flood it would be weeks before citizens could travel to the courthouse to take care of legal matters. Thus in 1874, the citizens of Pittsburg asked the state legislature to form a new county. This new county was named for John Lafayette Camp (1828-1891) who was a soldier, lawyer, statesman, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1866, and a State Senator in 1874.
Also in 1874 the question of where the new courthouse would be located was an issue. Major Pitts offered a site, Leesburg offered a site and Center Point also wanted the courthouse. Major Pitts won the day and the site by offering to pay $50 toward the construction of a courthouse. An election was held and the citizens voted 500 for Pittsburg, 228 for Leesburg, and 69 for Center Point. Thus, Pittsburg became the county seat and a new two story brick courthouse was built.
The first railroad, the East Line and Red River, reached Pittsburg in 1877 (it is now the Kansas City Southern), and the second railroad to reach Pittsburg was the Cotton Belt in 1880. Pittsburg has been a prosperous town ever since.
Pittsburg was home to the first Carnegie Library in the State of Texas. The library building served several needs as well as a library. The City offices were in this building as was an auditorium were performances and concerts were regularly scheduled. In 1909, the Northeast Texas Livestock and Agricultural Fair was organized. During its heyday, this fair was second in size to the Dallas Fair in Texas. Excursion trains ran from Tyler, Texarkana, and Greenville, bringing visitors to the fair. The first parachute jump from an airplane is said to have been at the Northeast Texas Fair. Pittsburg is home to Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, the Ezekiel Airship (that flew a year before the Wright Brothers' airship). Cavendar's Boot City began here. And the oldest rope driven elevator in Texas is still operating in one of the historic downtown businesses.
Pittsburg is a community with much to offer, both to its residents and visitors as well. Come see for yourself.
