Reconstruction In Texas, An Interview With Mitchel Whitington

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{ Overview And Background Information }

In Mrs. Burge's class, we held an interview with Mitchel Whitington, covering the topic of Reconstruction in Texas.  Mr. Whitington is a resident of Jefferson, Texas, and a volunteer with the Jefferson Historic Musesum. He is also an American author who has written novels, as well as anthologies, with titles like, Ghosts of North Texas, Ghosts of East Texas, and A Ghost In My Suitcase, in his name. He also has a few more books not mentioned prior, like The Midnight Saint.

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The Interview

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{ Jefferson Area }

Jefferson Texas was one of the largest cities in the 1800s. Today it only has around 2,000 people living there. Jefferson had multiple ports during the Civil War, being an entry point to Texas, thus making it such a popular area. After the war, there was still unrest in Jefferson. Many skirmishes occurred as the North and South saw others as enemies. A new police force arose, Knights of The Rising Sun, which lasted around 2 or 3 years. Around half of the population were slaves. Many were put in prison due to concerns of safety as the group was extremely violent being comparable to groups like the KKK. After the war, many of the freed slaves remained in the area, or even with their previous owners; however they were now paid salaries or small wages.  Jefferson is also home to the Excelsior Hotel, claimed to be one of the most haunted hotels. Steven Spielberg was rumored to stay there and reportedly saw ghosts.

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{ Red River, Texas }

During the Civil War, there was a campaign dubbed the "Red River Campaign, which was a series of battles and skirmishes along the Red River. 

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