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PALESTINE,
TEXASAnderson
County Seat, East Texas
Junction of Hwy 84, 79 and 19
108 miles SE of Dallas
150 miles N of Houston
36 miles
SE of Athens on Hwy 19
Population: 17,598 (2000)
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| | Missouri
Pacific Passenger Depot circa 1953, razed
Spring Street, Palestine, Texas
Photo
courtesy Maurice Higginbotham |
| The
Original County Seat was a town named Fort
Houston. When the State declared that County Seats be at the geographic center
of the county, Andersonians took them seriously and moved the two miles it required.
Fort Houston melted into oblivion. The
County was named for vice-president of Texas Kenneth Lewis Anderson. There
is a rumor that the city was named after Palestine, Illinois. |
Palestine
Texas Landmarks/Attractions |
Texas
State Railroad State
Historical Park
• Palestine is joined to nearby Rusk
(25 miles) by the Texas State Railroad. This antique steam train is operated by
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. The train operates from March to October. 1-800-442-8951
for reservations.
• Murder on the Disoriented Express
In October a local theater group
performs Murder on the Disoriented Express on the train. This is a fund
raising effort for the Palestine Library and the tickets include a buffet dinner.
Make reservations by calling 1-800-659-3484.
• The
Texas State Railroad and the Texas Forest Trail
• The
Texas State Railroad by Archie P. McDonald, PhD ("All Things Historical"
Column)
Museum
for East Texas Culture at 400 Micheaux Ave in Reagan Park. The museum puts
to excellent use the former Palestine High School (c.1916). The Statue of John
H. Reagan was sculpted by Pompeo Coppini in 1908 and was cast in Rome.
Howard House
Museum at 1011 N. Perry Street. A Texas Historic Landmark, the house was built
in the mid-1800s and bought by the city in 1963. Open Saturdays and Sundays 12:00
to 5:00, group tours by appointment.Palestine’s
Texas Theater
by Bob Bowman
The Texas Theater, one of the grand old movie houses
of East Texas, has been restored and is now a setting for community stage productions.
The Texas is not only a landmark for Palestine...Texas
Theatre by
Dana Goolsby
The crown jewel of downtown Palestine
213 W. Crawford Street
The
Redlands Hotel
at 400 North Queen. Now a nostalgic galleria of specialty shops, the old hotel
thrived from 1915 to 1918 and then served as an office building for the next four
decades.Carnegie
Public Library,
located at 502 North Queen. Built in 1915, the building is a recorded Texas historical
landmark.Where
to Stay
Palestine
Hotels |
 |
| | Palestine
School
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, December 2005 |
| | The
Federal Building
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, December 2005 |
| | The
Ivanhoe Building
Photo courtesy Lori
Martin, December 2005 |
Palestine
Texas Natural Attractions Dogwood
Late March and early April is a wonderful time to visit. Anderson
County has some of the nicest rolling hills and dogwood trees bloom in profusion
just before the deciduous trees leaf out. Davey
Dogwood Park
Just north of town is Davey Dogwood Park, 200 acres of streams,
trees and winding roads. The perfect place for a spring picnic. For information
on current conditions call Texas Dogwood Trails Inc. at 903-729-7275. Wisteria
Trail
Palestine is also on the unofficial East Texas "Wisteria Trail."
Palestine
Community Forest
There's another 700 acres in Palestine Community Forest.
Just NW of town, this park offers memorable autumn views due to the proliferation
of Sweetgum and Yaupon Trees. Lake
Palestine
Over 25,000 acres. Marina and swimming beach. Twenty miles north.
Concord
"The countryside around Montalba,
north of Palestine in Anderson County, is among the most beautiful in East Texas
with its small mountains, winding roads and scenic streams..." Where
to Stay > Palestine
Hotels |
| East
Texas Sunday Drive
Palestine:
Old homes, fruit cakes, and stained glass windows
Excerpted
from "The
East Texas Sunday Drive Book" by Bob Bowman
The focal
point of this Sunday Drive is Palestine, the county seat of Anderson County and
a town whose history parallels the arrival of the railroad in the l870s. But you'll
also have the opportunity to see some excellent rural scenery. Start
your Sunday Drive with a tour of downtown Palestine. The Chamber of Commerce offers
an excellent walking tour guide which will carry you to several points of interest,
including: next
page Where
to Stay > Palestine
Hotels |
| The
Haunting of Old Memorial Hospital In Palestine
by Dana Goolsby
The old hospital has been abandoned as a care facility, however
locals claim the facility has not been entirely deserted. Supernatural tales have
lived within the old hospital far prior to the closing of the facility. |
| |
Carnegie
Library in Palestine
Main
Street Palestine today
TE photo |
| | Palestine
City Hall
Old postcard TE archives |
| | Sycamore
Street
Old postcard TE archives |
| | Spring
Street
Old postcard TE archives |
Palestine
Tourist Information
Palestine
Convention and Visitor Bureau
825 Spring Street, Palestine, TX 75801
903-723-3014 or 800-659-3484
Palestine Chamber of Commerce
401
W. Main Street
903-729-6066
Where
to Stay > Palestine
Hotels |
Palestine
Texas Forum
Subject:
It is wonderful town!
I was reading all the wonderful stories on my hometown
of Palestine, Texas and it made me glad to be from a small town. It was great
place to grow up and still is to this day. When I travel my mind often return
to Palestine. I am now forty years old and I still get lump in my throat when
at dusk the light come on Ave A all the way to the Anderson County Courthouse
on top of the hill as it stand there in all it beauty. - Rodney Paul Smith,
Palestine,TX, April 12, 2007
This
page for Palestine, Texas sponsored by: Sandy Fiedler 10/01
5,00
Where
to Stay > Palestine
Hotels
|
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories, and vintage/historic
photos of their town, please contact
us. |
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