Palestine, Texas

Everything Palestine is known for

11 songs mention this city 5 artists from here

Palestine, Texas, a charming East Texas town known for its dogwood blossoms and historic sites, is also home to a vibrant musical spirit. The city has produced country artists like Whiskey Myers, JB And The Moonshine Band, Justin Todd Herod, Cody Cannon, and Colton Ryan. Songs such as "Palestine Texas" by T Bone Burnett and "Texas Eagle" by Steve Earle and The Del McCoury Band also mention the town.

Music in Palestine

Songs About Palestine

Palestine Texas
T Bone Burnett
82%
"Palestine Texas"
texas eagle
steve earle & the del mccoury band
70%
Texas Eagle
Steve Earle And The Del McCoury Band
70%
Die Rockin’
Whiskey Myers
60%
Trailer We Call Home
Whiskey Myers
51%
"Little white church south of Palestine"
Texas Eagle
Steve Earle
50%
"We rode to Palestine and hitchhiked back"
Stone
Whiskey Myers
45%
Bury My Bones
Whiskey Myers
21%
"And take my vessel to Anderson County"
crazy train
ozzy osbourne
10%
Broken Window Serenade
Whiskey Myers
5%
"Now you work down at the Timeout Off 155"
Superlover
Allison Russell
3%
"Palestine, Israel to Tennessee"

Artists From Palestine

W
Whiskey Myers
country Pop: 71
J
Jb And The Moonshine Band
country Pop: 32
J
Justin Todd Herod
country Pop: 17
C
Cody Cannon
country Pop: 9
C
Colton Ryan
country Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Palestine

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Palestine.

Trinity River 8 songs Interstate 45 2 songs

History of Palestine

Palestine, TX RoadyGoat

Palestine sits amidst rolling hills, a little higher up than you might expect, almost five hundred feet above sea level. Before any town was here, the Caddo people knew this land. Later, when the railroads snaked their way across Texas, Palestine became a key point, a hub that drew people and opportunity. You can still feel that history downtown, even knowing that a terrible fire back in '93 took so much of it away. It's a place that seems to nurture talent.

Palestine, TX RoadyGoat

Palestine, Texas, is a place where the past feels close enough to touch. Long before the railroads cut through these rolling hills, the Caddo people called this land home. Then came the settlers, drawn by the promise of fertile soil, naming their new town after Palestine, Illinois, back in 1846. It wasn't long before Palestine, Texas, found its own identity, distinct and deeply rooted in the red dirt of East Texas. The arrival of the railroad was a game-changer, transforming it into a bustling hub, a place of commerce and connection. But history here isn’t always a gentle story. The great fire of 1893 swept through downtown, leaving devastation in its wake. Yet, the town rebuilt, brick by brick, a testament to the resilience of its people. You can still see that spirit today, in the restored buildings and the enduring pride of the community.

Palestine, TX RoadyGoat

Before Palestine was Palestine, it was Caddo land. Those first people knew these rolling hills long before any Europeans. But things changed in 1846, when folks coming from Palestine, Illinois, decided this spot felt right. They named it after their old home. What really made Palestine take off, though, was the railroad. Having those lines running through town made it a hub, bringing in people and business. Palestine became a real center of activity. It wasn't always easy, of course. The big fire in 1893 leveled much of downtown, a devastating blow. But the people rebuilt, and the town kept growing. You can still feel that history here, that sense of a place that's been through a lot and come out stronger. Even today, with healthcare, manufacturing, and retail driving the economy, there's a nostalgic charm, a Southern hospitality that just feels like Palestine.

John H. Reagan

1818

John Henninger Reagan, son of Timothy and Elizabeth Lusk Reagan, was born on October 8, 1818, in Sevierville, Tennessee. He joined the Republic of Texas Army in 1839 and served in the Cherokee War. In the early 1840s he held several public offices in Nacogdoches County, and in 1847 obtained a law license and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. He moved to Palestine in 1851 and opened a law office in his home. He was elected Texas 9th Judicial District Judge in 1852. 
 Reagan, elected U.S. Congressman in 1857, resigned in 1861 over what he believed was a Federal takeover of states' rights. He served as postmaster general of the Confederacy during the Civil War. He was captured by Federal troops in 1865 and imprisoned for 18 months. He returned to Texas in 1866 and established a family farm near Palestine at the former site of Ft. Houston. 
 During his tenure as a U.S. Congressman (1876-87) and U.S. Senator (1887-1891) Reagan led the fight that brought railroad monopolies under federal control with the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887. In 1891 he became the first chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, a position he held until 1901. 
 Reagan died of pneumonia on March 6, 1905. The entire Texas legislative assembly attended his funeral. (1994)

Historical Marker →

Bennett, Steven L.

1972

Steven L. Bennett, Medal of Honor recipient, was born at Palestine, Texas, on April 22, 1946, son of Elwin Bennett. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and was a member of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was commissioned in the United States Air Force on August 12, 1968, and served on active duty until his death in Vietnam on June 29, 1972. He was assigned to the Twentieth Tactical Air Support Squadron at DaNang Air Base, with primary duty as a forward air controller. On June 29, 1972, he was the pilot of a light aircraft flying an artillery-adjustment mission along a heavily defended area over a large concentration of enemy troops massing to attack friendly forces. He requested tactical air support but was told that none was available. Determined to aid the endangered troops, he strafed the enemy positions four times, and the enemy began a retreat. Bennett continued his attack, and as he completed his fifth pass, his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile. The plane was severely damaged in the left engine and the left main landing gear. With the aircraft on fire, he realized that a landing at a friendly airfield was impossible. He instructed his observer to prepare to eject, but was informed that the observer's parachute had been shredded during the attack. Bennett chose to ditch in the nearby Gulf of Tonkin, with the full knowledge that this type of aircraft had never been successfully ditched in water. When the plane struck the water it cartwheeled and was damaged so that escape from the cockpit was impossible. The observer escaped and was rescued, thanks to the selfless action of Captain Bennett. Bennett's wife, Linda, of San Antonio, received the posthumous award from Vice President Gerald Ford at the White House in Washington, on August 8, 1974. Bennett is buried in Lafayette Memorial Cemetery at Lafayette, Louisiana. In addition to his wife, he was survived by one child.

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Lowery, Fred

1909

Fred Lowery, the "king of whistlers," was born in Palestine, Texas, on November 2, 1909, the son of William and Mary (White) Lowery. He lost his eyesight before he was two years old. His mother died shortly after his birth, and his father deserted him and his three older sisters, who were then raised by their grandmother Lucy White. In September 1917, at the age of seven, Lowery entered the Texas School for the Blind (now the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired ) in Austin, where he was in attendance for the next twelve years. His whistling career began with the encouragement of his piano teacher, Peggy Richter, and a bird imitator named Ernest Nichols. In May 1929 Lowery and Richter traveled to Chicago, where Lowery took lessons in acting at the American Institute to develop stage presence. In August 1929 he had his first spot on a radio show, the Farm and Home Hour . In November of that year he left the School for the Blind and moved into the home of Peggy Richter. Lowery continued to perform, and soon after a performance at the National Business Confidence Week, a Lions Club event, he received a letter inviting him to try out for a full-time job with the Early Birds pogram on station WFAA in Dallas. In 1932 entrepreneur and carnival pitchman Henry Murphy hired Lowery, along with the other Early Birds stars, for a six-month tour with Lignon Smith's band in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. They worked out a two-hour program with music and comedy called "Heads Up!" When this program ran out of money, Lowery returned to work at WFAA. Despite some apprehension and self-doubt, in 1934 he moved to New York City to pursue his musical career. He joined the Vincent Lopez orchestra and, during the ensuing four years with Lopez, met and performed with many stars, including Bing Crosby, Mary Pickford, and Jack Dempsey. Toward the end of 1938 Lowery began working for Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights. After this stint he began touring solo. He had a radio show and hosted La Rue's Supper Club in Indianapolis in the early 1950s. From the 1960s into the early 1980s Lowery entertained schoolchildren at assembly programs. In his career he also appeared with Steve Allen, Edgar Bergen, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Stan Kenton, Ed Sullivan, and Paul Whiteman. His biggest-selling single was "Indian Love Call" (1939) which sold over two million copies. His autobiography, Whistling in the Dark , was published in 1983. In 1932 Lowery began courting Gracie Johnston in Dallas. He had met her years earlier at a party he attended in Jacksonville, Texas. Fred and Gracie were married on December 20, 1940. Their only child, Fred M. Lowery, was born the next year. Lowery died at home in Jacksonville on December 11, 1984, and was survived by his wife and son.

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Rogers, Christopher Columbus

1874

Christopher Columbus Rogers, lawman and gunfighter, was born near Tennessee Colony in Anderson County, Texas, in 1846, the son of William Rogers, erstwhile sheriff of Anderson County. He was educated in Palestine and spent the Civil War as a guard at a Confederate prison. After the war he worked as a printer for a Palestine newspaper, the Trinity Advocate . Rogers seems to have established a reputation as a violent opponent of Reconstruction by beating up John H. Morrison, a Freedmen's Bureau agent, and by murdering Dan Cary, a Republican marshall of Palestine. After killing Cary, Rogers operated a saloon in Tyler for a time, where he killed a fellow saloonkeeper, Mose Remington, in a gunfight. Rogers had returned to Palestine by 1873. In 1874 he was elected city marshall of Palestine, an office he held till his death. During his tenure as marshall in what was then an unruly railway town, Rogers is supposed to have killed an additional nine men. When Judge Grayson and his wife were murdered by night riders in 1878, supposedly for shielding Blacks from terrorists, Rogers made seven arrests in connection with the crime. In 1886 he prevented striking railway workers from blocking train service through Palestine. The next year he was involved in a gunfight with a friend, Tom O'Donnell, who was resisting arrest for a misdemeanor; O'Donnell was killed, and Rogers suffered a broken arm. By now a fairly controversial figure in the town, the marshall was suspended while the incident was investigated, and, while sitting unarmed in a saloon in 1888, was stabbed to death by Bill Young as a result of an argument over the O'Donnell incident. Rogers was buried in East Hill Cemetery in Palestine on June 27, 1888.

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Site of McKnight Plaza

1876

James B. McKnight moved to Anderson County in 1848. In 1876 and 1879, he bought land at this site from J.H. Mead. Here, he operated a saddlery and farrier business. McKnight died in 1907, and in 1910, the property was sold to the Farmers and Citizens Bank, which had been established by African American businessmen in 1906. The block here became known as McKnight Plaza. Between 1910 and 1945, McKnight Plaza housed numerous businesses and offices owned by African American merchants, doctors and dentists. The Farmers and Citizens Bank, which would close in the late 1920s, was on a prominent corner of the ground floor. George Macon Shuffer owned a dry good store. Dr. H.V. Hurd, a dentist, and Dr. J.H. Dodd owned a drugstore and soda fountain; Dodd's wife operated a millinery shop. Other businesses included J.B. Blake's cab company, John Tatum's café, H.G. Neely's accounting and insurance office, the funeral home of Al Davis and I.V. Bland, John Hunter's barbershop, and Noah Williams' cleaning and pressing shop. Doctors W.R. Roberts, R.E. Holland and H.D. Patton, as well as dentists Williamson McLellan and H.D. Mitchell, had offices and tended patients at this site. The Missouri Pacific Colored Booster Club, a private social organization located here, sponsored local events and dances. For 35 years, McKnight Plaza served as a commercial center for Palestine's African American community, representing local entrepreneurship and enterprise. Commonly referred to as "on the square," the plaza was once a bustling shopping and office center. Following the building's demolition in 1945, the plaza's former site became a grocery store and later a bank. Today, it remains a significant part of Palestine's social and economic history. (2004)

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The Bowers Mansion

1878

Originally house of merchant Henry Ash; built 1878; bought 1884 by Andrew L. and Nellie O'Connell Bowers, who had architect-builder W. W. Wainright add cupola, gazebo, circular galleries after 1886. Charles Dunbar was architect in 1897 for ornate renovations, and Bowers continued to enlarge and enrich the structure until 1921. Andrew L. Bowers (1852-1926), an International & Great Northern Railroad official, president of Palestine Salt & Coal Co., banker, mayor for 20 years, was active in Anderson County oil discoveries. Four sons, two daughters grew up here; family owned place 72 years. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973

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Things to Do in Palestine

food 0.2 mi away
Pint and Barrel Drafthouse

Gastropub in Old Town Palestine at 302 East Crawford Street. Craft beer, outdoor picnic seating, sandwiches and famously good fries. Closed Sundays.

Everything Near Palestine

172 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Palestine on the Map
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