Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named after Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town.Kelsey, Mavis P. and Dyal, Donald H. The Courthouses of Texas (2nd ed.). Texas A&M University Press, College Station, 2000, p31.
The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, making it the sixth-largest incorporated municipality in Northeast Texas by population. Palestine is a relatively small city located in the Piney Woods, equidistant from the major cities of Dallas, Houston, and Shreveport, Louisiana.
It is notable for its natural environment, and has a notable dogwood blooming season. It has 23 historical sites on the National Register of Historic Places, and was the western terminus of the historic Texas State Railroad. Today, this steam-and-diesel railroad museum operates tourist trains between Palestine and Rusk.
History Indigenous groups, such as the Coushatta Tribe, occupied this area for thousands of years before European encounter. During the years of Spanish and Mexican control of major parts of the Southwest, what became East Texas was lightly settled by Europeans.
Founding A trading post was established by Anglo-Americans circa 1843, and some settlers gathered around it. In 1846, the Texas Legislature incorporated Palestine to serve as a seat for the newly established Anderson County. James R. Fulton, Johnston Shelton, and William Bigelow were hired by the first Anderson County commissioners to survey the surrounding land and lay out a town site. This consisted of a central courthouse square and the surrounding 24 blocks.
The city was named after Palestine, Illinois, as suggested by Micham Main and or Daniel Parker, a minister of Pilgrim Church who had migrated with the Main family and numerous other settlers from that town.
By 1858, Palestine had grown to a population of about 2,000. An 1861 state almanac showed that the city was connected to the rest of Texas by a thrice-weekly stagecoach that served Huntsville, Crockett, and Nacogdoches. In 1861, a joint resolution called for the construction of the "Metropolitan Railroad" from Texarkana to Austin, passing through Palestine, Henderson, and Fairfield. These plans were interrupted when the American Civil War broke out.
A book burning took place in Palestine shortly before the Civil War. The town government passed a resolution to examine textbooks to ensure they were supportive of slavery, to prohibit northerners from teaching, and to discourage local merchants from doing business with northerners who did not support slavery. The next day, a vigilance committee destroyed textbooks that they considered an antislavery conspiracy.
In the postwar period, during the Reconstruction era, the timber trade and town growth were stimulated in the 1870s by the construction of a railroad through there. The city had a population of more than 10,000 by 1898.
Railroad
The International Railroad and the Houston and Great Northern Railroad first connected Palestine to the city of Hearne in 1872. Later that year, it was connected northeast to Longview. The railroad merged in 1873 to become the International and Great Northern Railroad (IGN).
The IGN later became part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and ultimately, the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1875, IGN president H.M. Hoxie moved to Palestine and built the first Victorian mansion there. Successful merchant owners and railroad executives built other elaborate homes along South Sycamore Street.
The IGN built a major depot in 1892 and a modern passenger coach shop in 1902, making Palestine an important locomotive and coach location. These shops continued to operate until 1954. At that time, the present facility was built, which is exclusively for freight-car repair.
Today, the Palestine Car Shop is one of only two car shops on the Union Pacific Railroad that perform major modifications and repairs to freight cars. The Palestine UP workforce has more than 100 employees.
After the state completed the Rusk Penitentiary near the city of Rusk, the state leased convict labor to the railroad as workers. The railroad originally transported raw materials to the iron smelter located at the Rusk Penitentiary. In 1906, the line reached Maydelle, and by 1909, the line was completed when it reached Palestine.
Regularly scheduled train service ceased in 1921. The line was leased to various railroad companies until 1969, when they abandoned it during national restructuring of the industry. The Texas Legislature adapted the railroad as a state park in 1972, to be devoted to operating trains that showed some of the state's railroad history.
The Texas State Railroad is a state park that allows visitors to ride trains pulled by diesel and steam locomotives between the park's Victorian-style depots and through the forests of East Texas. This short railroad line dates to 1883.
Modern era
In 1914, the county's fourth courthouse was completed; it is still in use. One of the many historical sites is Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton.
In 1928, oil was discovered at Boggy Creek, east of Palestine. The production of oil resources added to and diversified the town's economy. Palestine became a center for oil-well servicing and supplies in support of other producing fields found later elsewhere in Anderson County.
Construction of the earth-filled Blackburn Crossing Dam on the Upper Neches River, creating Lake Palestine as a reliable source of water, was begun in 1960 and completed in 1962. A municipal water authority manages this resource. The dam was enlarged from 1969 to 1972 to 75 feet high, and 5,720 feet long.
About 40% of the content from the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was recovered, seven astronauts were killed in the accident. Debris from Columbia was found in and near Palestine and other East Texas towns. Palestine's NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (renamed in honor of the shuttle crew), has flown 1,700 high-altitude balloons for universities and research agencies.
On November 15, 2015, a mass shooting took place at a campsite several miles northwest of Palestine. Six people were killed by an intoxicated neighbor (who was armed with a .22-caliber revolver and a .45-caliber revolver) who was upset about losing his family's land. The shooter, 33-year-old William Mitchell Hudson, was charged with capital murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a Brazos County jury on November 15, 2017.
Geography
Palestine is located near the center of Anderson County. Several numbered highways converge on the city, including U.S. Highways 79, 84, and 287, plus Texas State highways 19 and 155. Dallas is to the northwest, and Houston is to the south. Tyler is to the northeast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 1.06%, is covered by water.
Lake Palestine Lake Palestine is a freshwater lake created in 1962 by the construction of the Blackburn Crossing dam on the Neches River. A 25,600-acre lake with a total length of 18 miles, 135 miles of shoreline, and an average depth of 16.25 ft, it offers an array of freshwater fish species, including largemouth bass, white crappie, and catfish. The Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority owns and operates Lake Palestine.
The City of Palestine has a water contract for 25 million gallons of water per day. It is served by a channel dam, 13 miles of pipeline, and a water treatment plant, which the city operates for water coming into the city.
Climate Palestine has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. The average warmest month is July; the highest recorded temperature was on September 4, 2000. On average, the coolest month is January, and the lowest recorded temperature was on December 23, 1989. The maximum average precipitation occurs in June.
Demographics
At the 1850 United States census, Palestine had a population around 2,000; a decade later, its population declined to 1,938, yet has since increased in population since to a historic 18,712 at the 2010 U.S. census. As of the 2020 census, 18,544 people lived in the city.
Racial and ethnic composition +Palestine city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)10,2929,7808,45058.48%52.27%45.57%Black or African American alone (NH)4,3304,2974,43924.61%22.96%23.94%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4764690.27%0.34%0.37%Asian alone (NH)1391621660.79%0.87%0.90%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)71160.04%0.06%0.03%Other race alone (NH)725560.04%0.13%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1572725980.89%1.45%3.22%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2,6194,1014,76014.88%21.92%25.67%Total17,59818,71218,544 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the median age was 36.5 years; 26.2% of the residents were under 18 and 17.7% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 83.7 males 18 and over.
About 97.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.4% lived in rural areas.
Of thee 6,945 households in Palestine, 36.2% had children under 18 living in them, 40.9% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.
The city had were 7,733 housing units, of which 10.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percentage White 9,440 50.9% Black or African American 4,530 24.4% American Indian and Alaska Native 160 0.9% Asian 173 0.9% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 6 0.0% Some other race 2,451 13.2% Two or more races 1,784 9.6% As the city's population has grown despite interval declines from 1990 to 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup continues to be dominated by non-Hispanic or non-Latino Whites and Black or African Americans according to official census records.
+Palestine racial composition as of 2020 (NH = Non-Hispanic)RaceNumberPercentageWhite (NH)8,45045.56%Black or African American (NH)4,43923.93%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)690.37%Asian (NH)1660.9%Pacific Islander (NH)60.03%Some other race (NH)560.3%Multiracial (NH)5983.22%Hispanic or Latino4,76025.67%Total18,544
2000 census
In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup was 64.60% White, 24.77% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 7.90% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latino Americans of any race were 14.88% of the population.
In 2000, of 6,641 households, 34.9% had children under 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were not families. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.13.
At the 2000 U.S. census, the median income for a household in the city was $30,497, and for a family was $36,806. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus $20,662 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,514. About 16.6% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.
2020 American Community Survey estimates
Since the 2020 census, the median household income increased to $40,684 and households were paid a median of $817 a month.
Economy