Palestine dates to 1846, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #11 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
17 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 563 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Palestine is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #11 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Palestine’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Palestine’s 303 sits above most of its state (98% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 579 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1846.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Palestine’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Palestine, building by building, 1885–1919
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
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.
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.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1846, according to Wikidata. Palestine’s post office opened in 1847, and the census of 1850 counted 2,000 people here.
How does Palestine rank for history?
Palestine is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #11 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Palestine?
17 listings: 13 buildings, among them the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School (listed 1979, the first), and 4 historic districts with 563 contributing buildings. 579 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Palestine?
10% of Palestine’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1976.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (17), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1909
1919
1919
