Palestine, Texas
History Reveals A Conservative Town

Folder Described Conservative Town

A souvenir picture folder issued in Palestine in the early years of the century pictured the community as thriving but soundly conservative.

The folder, distributed by Hodges Dry Goods Company as a public service, listed the following items as "Palestine's Growth for the Past Three Years:

"Federal building, $75,000; new Link block, $50,000; new Kane block, $40,000; Silliman hardware building, $15,000; new Pool building, $8,000; new fire hall, $15,000; new creamery, $5,000; new gas plant, $125,000; Methodist church, $30,000; Episcopal church, $10,000; YMCA, tile swimming pool, etc., $8,000; renovation Opera House, $12,000; renovation water works, $37,000; renovation electric company, $175,000; renovation telephone company, $45,000; storage room, ice company, $14,000; remodeling 13 stores, $42,000; State Railroad terminals, $45,000; I. & G.N. roundhouse and boiler house, $28,544; paving bonds sold, $45,000; concrete walks (estimated), $15,000; five miles of sewer, $13,000; two hundred houses at $2,000 each, $400,000."

The total was given at $1,252,544.

"Palestine has never had a boom," a footnote stated, "and the above is a conservative record of part of the growth of the town during the past several years. A number of brick buildings are now going up, and many homes are being erected. During the last year $30,000 in automobiles were sold to Palestine people."

No date of publication appeared on the folder. It declared that Palestine "is a city of 11,000 or 12,000 population," that "the entire region (is) a veritable paradise for fruits and flowers, many being native to this section so kindly are they treated by indulgent Mother Nature."

The paragraph describing Palestine and the area was signed by the Palestine Board of Trade, Dr. J. C. Silliman, president, and C. A. Sterne, secretary.

Palestine Has Mild Climate

The climate of Palestine and Anderson County has a mean annual average temperature of 65 degrees. The average temperature in January is 48 degrees and in July it is 82 degrees.

 

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