Mount Vernon, Texas

This Texas Main Street city boasts a gracious plaza, restored town square, partially restored 1912 Classical Revival courthouse, and more than 65 historic homes, all of which
helped earn it a First Lady’s Texas Treasures Award in 2009. The recently restored 1880s Thruston House serves as the Bankhead Highway Visitors Center, which features exhibits on Mount Vernon native Henry Clay Thruston. At 7 feet 7 1/2 inches tall, Thruston is said to have been the tallest soldier to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War. The Franklin County Historical Museum, housed in a 1940 structure built by the Work Projects Administration, boasts natural history collections and dynamic exhibits.