Carthage Texas
 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in Carthage, Texas |
The City of Carthage is located in Panola County, Texas, near the Louisiana border. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highways 59 and 79.
The city is known as the "Gas Capital of the United States" and the home of the famous Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and the Tex Ritter Museum. Panola College is also located in Carthage.
Annual events include the Piney Woods Quilt Festival and the Panola County Cattlemen's Pro Rodeo.
The Carthage Zip Code is 75633, and its Area Code is 903. Its population is 6,569 residents according to the 2020 Census.
For more information about the City, visit the website of the City of Carthage
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame was initiated in 1998 to celebrate the contributions of Texans to the country music profession. The project highlights those individuals who are recognized nationally as outstanding in their field.
The impressive structure encompasses 13,000 square feet of space for exhibits, a gift shop and a large banquet room. The facility can accommodate groups of 300 for lecture-type seating or more than 200 for catered dinners.
| Exterior of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame & Tex Ritter Museum |
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 Inside the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame |
With soaring ceilings, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems and a commercial kitchen, the Hall of Fame provides unparalleled meeting space for local groups needing space for banquets and other activities.
Among the six inductees in 1998 was Panola County’s hometown hero and America’s most beloved singing cowboy, Tex Ritter.
Other inductees include the Gatlin Brothers, Ray Price, Roger Miller, Jimmy Dean, Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Dale Evans, George Jones, Bob Wills, Mac Davis and many more well known performers.
The Hall of Fame is located at 310 West Panola Street in Carthage. For more information, phone 903.694.9561 or visit the website of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
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TX Country Music Hall of Fame Traveler reviews and photos at TripAdvisor |
Piney Woods Quilt Festival
The annual Piney Woods Quilt Festival provides an opportunity for local and area clubs to highlight the growing interest in the skill and artistry of quilting. Details about the Quilt Festival
Footprints in the Sand Monument
After years of work, a dedication for the "Footprints in the Sand" Monument on the loop in Carthage was held in July of 2016.
 Footprints in the Sand Monument in Carthage |
A local Panola County sculptor, Bob Harness, read the "Footprints" poem for the first time in a program while attending a local funeral. The poem ends with the words of the Lord: "The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you".
Intrigued by the words of the poem, he took the program home to his studio to sketch the scene and make a three-dimensional model. Friends of Harness told him, "This is so beautiful, it has to be built." The project took another four years to complete.
The sculpture depicts Christ carrying an old man, with 80 feet of footprints in the sand behind the sculpture.
Bronze Jesus stands 14 feet tall atop a five-foot pedestal; big footprints lead from the parking lot to the statue. The park features sandstone benches, with the sculpture itself sitting at the opening of a round, 50-foot diameter solid sandstone bench.
It is the largest bronze statue of Jesus Christ in the United States. Local resident Don Clinton posed as Jesus, while William George and former Carthage Mayor Carson Joines posed as the other man.
The monument is located at the Pippen Memorial Park on the Southwest Loop in Carthage, at 1320 Dixie Lake Road.
Read more about the monument's inspiration and creation, along with videos and more photos, at www.FootprintsMonument.com
| The "Footprints in the Sand" Monument in Carthage, Texas (Staff Photos) |
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Carthage Area Motels and Accommodations
Carthage has several motels, hotels, and other lodging including those listed below.
Carthage Area Links and Resources
Baker Library at Panola College in Carthage
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
Footprints in the Sand Monument
Carthage Independent School District (ISD)
Map of Carthage Texas
Area Tourism and Attractions
While visiting the Carthage area, you may want to take other interesting day trips in East Texas:
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Jefferson - antiques, Jay Gould's railroad car, Jefferson Carnegie Library, steam train rides, steamboats on Caddo Lake, B&Bs
- Gladewater - antique capitol of East Texas, Gusher Days, Roundup Rodeo, Helen Lee Daffodil Gardens
- Gilmer - East Texas Yamboree, Historic Upshur Museum, Lake Gilmer
- Kilgore - home of the East Texas Oil Museum and Kilgore College
- Joinerville Texas - Daisy Bradford oil discovery monuments and Great East Texas Oilfield markers, Gaston Museum
- Longview - Gregg County Fair & Exposition, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, R.G. LeTourneau Museum, Great Texas Balloon Race, historic buildings, shopping, restaurants
- Marshall - Michelson Museum of Art, Starr Family home State Historic Park, Harrison County Historical Museum, The Weisman, Ginocchio Hotel, T&P Railroad Museum, Christmas Wonderland of Lights
- Henderson Texas - Heritage Syrup Festival, Howard Dickinson House Museum, Depot Museum, antique shopping, Historic Downtown Square
- Tyler Texas - Municipal Rose Garden, TJC Planetarium, Caldwell Zoo, Tyler Museum of Art, Lake Tyler, Rose Rudman Recreational Trail, Cotton Belt Depot, Goodman-LeGrand House
- Lake Tyler - swimming, boating, fishing, skiing close-in to Tyler
- Lake Palestine - Boating, fishing, skiing and camping, just south of Tyler
- Bullard - just south of Tyler, home of wineries and the Freedom Museum
- Toledo Bend Reservoir - boating, fishing, swimming, marinas, hiking, camping, golf, resorts, restaurants
Map Showing Location of Carthage in East Texas
