Historic Palestine

❖
Though no longer standing, the John
Reagan home (known as Fort
Houston) is pictured here in the early
1940s. The Reagan family lived in a
one-story home on the farm after the
Civil War and enlarged it in the
1880s. One visitor to the grand home
wrote, “Arriving at the Reagan home
is something of an event for anyone.”
A historical marker placed here in
1951 commemorates the site, where
the home’s original brick sidewalk
remains in 2011.
COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR EAST TEXAS
CULTURE. COLOR PHOTO BY JOE MOORE.
of the square in “Old Town” or acquired meager
homes in neighborhoods such as Yellow Basket
and Tin Cup Alley.
Eventually, McKnight Plaza rose to
prominence near downtown Palestine as the
“economic center” for African Americans in the
area and included the successful Farmers and
Citizens Savings Bank and other outstanding
shops, businesses, restaurants and pharmacies.
The plaza was the namesake of James B.
McKnight, who settled in Anderson County in
1848 and in 1876 and 1879 bought the land
that would eventually include the plaza. Upon
McKnight’s death in 1907, the property was sold
to the Farmers and Citizens Savings Bank and
became McKnight Plaza.
James Smith continues, “The war between
the states to unite the North and South and
abolish slavery remains alive today through
memorabilia, artifacts and living relics…. The
churches, schools, and business and community
leaders have come together over the last
150 years in a complex weave of relationships
that has constructed the colorful tapestry
that is the African-American community in
Palestine today.”
By the end of the early 1870s, the city was on
the cusp of great change—the railroad was
nearing its borders and “the whole scene would
change...Palestine would emerge the efflorescent
butterfly from the cocoon” (Avera).
2 6 ✦ H I S T O R I C P A L E S T I N E