Historic Palestine

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Top, left: Among the first to build a
church in Palestine was the Methodist
denomination. Originally located on
North Mallard Street, it was named
Bascom Chapel to honor the life of the
late Bishop Henry B. Bascom and
welcomed all denominations to use the
facility for their church services. The
illustration, by Dr. Henry J. Hunter at
the age of twelve in 1850, and story
here are among the unpublished
papers of local historian Mary
Kate Hunter.
COURTESY OF THE PALESTINE PUBLIC LIBRARY,
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.
Palestine Female College after a new charter
was established in 1876. The college was
eventually transferred to the city’s public school
system in 1881.
Businesses began to dominate Palestine’s
public square nearly from the moment it came
into existence and commerce was thriving. By
1852, the Hunter House Hotel had opened to
wide acclaim on the northeast corner of the
square. Kentucky native Judge John Graham
Gooch brought little more than his vast
collection of books to Palestine and soon
opened the city’s first free circulating library
from his home in 1853. By 1866, twelve drygoods
stores were already prospering.
From the beginning, Anderson County
was well-known for its several ports along
the Trinity River—all having a profound
impact upon not only the economy of the
Top, right: Methodist missionaries first
arrived in the area as circuit-riding
preachers in the late 1830’s and built
their first church in Palestine in 1850.
Pictured here is Centenary Methodist
Church, named in honor of
Methodism’s 100th anniversary, which
opened in 1884. The congregation
later divided to form First United
Methodist Church and Grace United
Methodist Church.
COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR EAST
TEXAS CULTURE.
Below: St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church,
shown here in 2011, was established
in 1859 and opened the congregation’s
first church in 1874. It was destroyed
by fire in 1982 and rebuilt in 1983.
PHOTO BY JULIA DABNEY.
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