Ivanhoe, Texas
Ivanhoe is a small town in Texas just north of Bonham in Fannin County and close to the Oklahoma border. It was originally called Hawkins’ Prairie but that name was already taken, so the town ended up being named Ivanhoe after the novel by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832).
There is also an area called Ivanhoe (and also North Ivanhoe) in Tyler county northeast of Houston. However, they are part of the town of Woodville.
The postal clerk at this location was extremely friendly. I mentioned what I was doing and he was happy to provide the Ivanhoe postmark to about dozen postcards. He said people stop by frequently, and that there’s a motorcycle route which goes through there and the bikers often stop to take pictures.
There’s not a whole lot else in Ivanhoe though. There used to be a winery across the street which was popular, but the clerk told me the man who ran it passed away. However, there’s a Facebook page for the Homestead Winery tasting room located in Denison, TX and also an Ivanhoe Brewery also located in Denison. On a future trip through there I might have to seek these out and get more information.
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The postcard I sent was a postcard made from the cover of the Signet Classics print of Ivanhoe.
