Local History
Paris Burned Twice and Rebuilt Both Times
Major fires in 1877 and 1916 destroyed much of Paris, which is why most of the older downtown buildings date from the early 20th century.
Paris, the county seat, suffered two major fires that reshaped the city. The first happened in 1877 and the second in 1916. Both times, the downtown core had to be largely rebuilt. This explains why visitors looking for very old 19th-century commercial buildings will not find many — the rebuilding after each fire replaced them.
The city came back stronger each time. By the early 1900s it had multiple railroad lines and was a retail and agricultural center for Northeast Texas. Today the downtown area reflects that post-1916 rebuilding era. The Handbook of Texas documents both fires as turning points in the city's development.
Source to confirm: Handbook of Texas — Paris, TX