Heritage, Summer 2005 Page: 28
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TRAVE L*YE
Historic photo of
Anderson County
Courthouse; TxDOTThe Peacetul Pre6ence
'AMris equidistant from both
':trstonraid Dallas, the town of
Palestine has little in common with
either of those metropolitan cities.
East Texas through and through,
Palestine is a town imbued with both
charm and history.
Established in 1846, Palestine is the
county seat of Anderson County. It is
there that visitors will notice a change
in the landscape as the blackland
prairies begin to disappear, only to be
replaced with hilly forests. Beautiful
pines and dogwood trees shade the
land and provide a bountiful commercial
resource and inspiration for the
thousands of visitors who travel to
Palestine each year.
One of the first places that tourists
should consider seeing is the Museum
of East Texas Culture, which offers a
look at the early history of Palestine
and Anderson County. Housed in the
old Palestine High School, which was
designed and built in 1915-16, the
museum has a fine exhibit on the railroad
industry, which played a major
role in the city's evolution. The
International Railroad was the first tocome to Palestine in 1872, followed by
the Houston and Great Northern.
Those companies merged one year
later, becoming the International and
Great Northern Railroad. With that
move, river shipping began to decline,
and new businesses opened, but they
located near the railroad line. This
resulted in two distinct business districts,
Old Town and New Town, designations
that are still used today. In
addition to the railroad, saw mills, cotton
gins, and a compress were the
main staples of the early economy.
In 1928, when oil was discovered at
Boggy Creek, near Palestine, the city
began to grow and diversify. Several
producing fields were later found in
Anderson County, and Palestine
became a center for oil-well servicing
and supplies. After mergers and consolidations
forced the decline of railroading
operations in the town, other
opportunities developed. Today, four
state prisons are located in Anderson
County, along with the National
Scientific Balloon Flight Facility, an
operation of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.Palestine
In addition to the Museum of East
Texas Culture, visitors should plan to
take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the
stately homes and buildings that line
the city streets. Many bed and breakfasts
and other commercial enterprises
are now housed in these beautifully
restored structures. One of the most
handsome is the Howard House, considered
to be one of the finest examples
of Greek Revival architecture in
the state today. Built in 1848, the home
is open by appointment.
Also worth seeing is the Carnegie
Library, built in 1914, one of many that
was constructed in the United States
by the philanthropist family. The
Anderson County Courthouse, constructed
the same year as the library,
was designed by C.H. Page and
Brother, and features a double spiral
staircase and beautiful stained glass
domed montage. And when your feet
get tired and your stomach empty,
make your last stop at another historic
attraction, Eilenberger's Bakery where
shipments of fruitcakes and other bakery
sweets have been satisfying sweet
tooths since 1898.HERITAGE f SUMMER 2005
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Summer 2005, periodical, Summer 2005; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45369/m1/28/?rotate=90: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.