Description: Lamar School was originally constructed by the Palestine School District in 1922 as an elementary school to educate the children of south side neighborhoods. With the advent of the new Southside Elementary, the school was closed. It now houses the Anderson County Champions for Children and the WIC offices.

Description: The First Presbyterian Church of Palestine was organized November 3, 1849 by Reverend Daniel Baker and Reverend J.N. Becton, home missionaries of The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. There were 18 charter members and the first minister was Reverend A.M. Becton. For the first few years, the Presbyterian Church shared a place of worship with other groups, but a steady growth in membership made it necessary to build its own church. Consequently, a small brick church was erected on North Church Street. On March 7, 1887, the church bought a lot on Avenue A, and the cornerstone for this sanctuary was laid on July 12, 1888. The architects for the project were Dudley and Dudley, the contractor was G.T. Scott, and the builder was Joseph Frederick Wolff. Mr. Wolff also made the bricks from clay excavated from a pit that later became Spring Park Lake. The sanctuary is of Gothic design, and contains beautiful leaded stained glass and Tiffany memorial windows. The ceiling was hand painted by an itinerant German craftsman, and has not been retouched since it was originally done by the artist. The lovely silver spire was added in 1890 by G.T. Scott, contractor, and C.S. Maffitt, builder. On November ...

Description: Newton Barnes built a one-story cottage on this property in 1874 and George W. and Adelina Angle enlarged the home in 1883. The second floor was added in 1892 by Congressman Alexander White Gregg and his wife, Mary and it was the primary residence of the Greggs during the height of his polotical career. Honored National Statesman from Palestine, Congressman A.W. Gregg (1855-1919) was a member of a distinguished southern family. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, practiced law in Palestine for a time, and was in the State Senate, 1886-1888. He served as the U.S. Congressman from the Seventh Congressional District from 1903-1919, and was instrumental in securing Galveston from further hurricane devastation by sponsoring legislation to build the Galveston Seawall in 1908. Congressman Gregg was married twice; first to Mary Bridges and secondly to Mary Brooks; and fathered four children. He died in 1919 and his funeral was held in this home. Mrs. Gregg remained living in this house until 1924, when she sold it to John H. Silliman who turned it into apartments. Nancy Foy Archer purchased the house in 2001 and she stadilized the building, painted the exterior and installed a new ...

Description: Most of the large, late 19th century residences in the neighborhood south of Palestine’s historic downtown feature wood-frame construction; however, this opulent dwelling has brick load-bearing walls. The house displays Victorian Italianate architectural embellishments, including the segmental-arched hoodmolds, bracketed eaves, and main entrance with its round-arched portal and hoodmold. The fish-scaled, patterned shingles in the front-facing gable and the complex roof plan are also suggestive of the Queen Anne style. Local brick manufacturer and Massachusetts-native Daniel N. Darling built this house in 1881; it is one of the oldest brick dwellings in the city. John Young Gooch (1848-1904) purchased the home soon after its construction; he was a prominent local lawyer who at one time was partners with John H. Reagan in the law firm of Reagan, Greenwood, and Gooch. Gooch also served as a state senator and as mayor and District Judge of Palestine. Judge Benjamin Howard Gardner (1854-1947) and his wife Carrie Bonner Gardner purchased the house in 1892. A native of Alabama, Mr. Gardner was another prominent local lawyer; he served as County Attorney for Freestone County, District Judge for the Third Judicial District, and was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to be chairman of the ...

Description: The residential neighborhood south of the city’s historic downtown contains many late 19th and early 20th century houses; however, a substantial number of 1920s dwellings were built as infill. Most of the residences of this later period are relatively small frame bungalows. This house deviates from the pattern because of its scale, materials, and design. The 2-story house with brick veneer is also one of the city’s few examples of the Spanish colonial Revival style. Few alterations detract from its historic character, and the building retains much of its integrity. German immigrant Solomon Maier and his Texas-born wife Lucy had this house built in the mid-1920s. Mr. Maier came to Palestine in 1882; his various endeavors included operating a wholesale tobacco company, a saloon, and working at a bank. He was vice-president, and later the second president of the Palestine Salt & Coal Company, which mined half a million tons of salt and 25,000 tons of lignite west of Palestine during the first half of this century. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Maier continued to live in the house through the 1940s. Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Hamilton were later owners of the house. Mr. Hamilton was a son of the ...