Stagecoach Stand, C. S. A.

Pat B. Clark's 1937 county history describes the hotel the plaque names. William Donoho, a Missouri native and early Clarksville settler, founded it in 1842, and Clark says he came directly from Santa Fe. After his death his wife ran it with their son James B. Donoho, called General. The building faced east, with porches on both floors along about 100 feet. The office and lobby sat downstairs in the center, with the dining room to the west. Clark calls the hotel a major stop for travelers heading southwest.

What the plaque says

Stagecoach Stand, C. S. A. Across the street from this site, and facing the County Courthouse which was later (1885) torn down, the Donoho Hotel and stage stand operated during the Civil War, 1861-65. Travel in those years was heavy. Soldiers arriving in Texas from Arkansas, Indian Territory or elsewhere would catch the stage here for home. Many called by to give news to the Clarksville "Standard," one of fewer than 20 Texas papers to be published throughout the war. The "Standard's" emphasis on personal news from camps was valued by soldiers' families. Stagecoach passengers for Marshall left at 4 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, going by Daingerfield and Jefferson, where steamer connections could be made. Railroad and stage connections were made at Marshall, 42 hours after the coach left here. The stage to Waco every second day went by Paris, Bonham, McKinney, Dallas, Waxahachie and Hillsboro, arriving in 4 days, 14 hours. Connections made in Waco included Henderson, Hempstead, Nacogdoches and San Antonio. 31 stage lines in Confederate Texas hauled mail, soldiers, civilians. 26 made connections with railroads or steamships, expediting travel. (1964)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lennox Woods Preserve — 10 mi
  A Nature Conservancy preserve of mature East Texas forest north of Clarksville, kept by the Lennox family for four generations, with a 1.5-mile loop under post oaks more than 300 years old.

More markers nearby

• The Rev. William Stevenson — steps away
• Members of Confederate Congresses — steps away
• Five Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Red River County — steps away
• The Northern Standard — steps away