I & GN Hospital and Nurses' Quarters

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in 1884, the International and Great Northern Railway Employees' Hospital Association put down roots right here in Palestine, Anderson County, building a complex of frame structures right next to the railroad tracks. And here's something worth sitting with for a moment: this hospital ran on monthly employee dues.

Not a government grant, not a wealthy patron. The workers themselves kept the lights on, and in return, every railroad employee along the I and GN lines could walk through those doors and get care. That's a certain kind of community, right there.

Now, those original frame structures had a good long run, but by 1920 they were razed and replaced with something grander: a new brick hospital building. This wasn't just a place to lie down and get better, either. The institution housed a pharmacy, laboratories, a medical clinic, and an emergency room with ambulance service.

Then in 1925, a two-story nurses' quarters went up right alongside it. Both buildings, the hospital and the nurses' quarters, were designed by Alfred C. Finn, a prominent Houston architect, and both wear the elements of Georgian Revival style.

The hospital announces itself with a raised basement, a central bay, and an ornate Georgian portico. The nurses' quarters answers with an offset classical portico and a hipped roof. Finn knew what he was doing.

Come the 1930s, the Missouri-Pacific Railroad took over the I and GN lines, and the institution carried on under a new name: the Missouri-Pacific Lines Hospital Association. Different name on the door, same purpose inside. The hospital kept serving people all the way until 1970.

These two buildings are still standing in Palestine today, quiet reminders of how deeply the railroad shaped this city, and of the workers who, month by month, dues by dues, built something that lasted nearly a century.

What the marker says

Established in 1884, the International & Great Northern Railway Employees' Hospital Association built a complex of frame structures at this site adjacent to the railroad tracks. The hospital, which operated on monthly employee dues, provided service to all railroad employees along the I&GN lines. In 1920 the frame structures were razed and replaced with a new brick hospital building. In addition to patient rooms, the institution included a pharmacy, laboratories, medical clinic, and emergency room with ambulance service. An adjacent two-story nurses' quarters building was added to the site in 1925. Designed by prominent Houston architect Alfred C. Finn, both buildings exhibit elements of Georgian Revival style architecture. Prominent features of the hospital include its raised basement, central bay, and ornate Georgian portico. The nurses' quarters features an offset classical portico and hipped roof. The Missouri-Pacific Railroad took over the I&GN lines in the 1930s, and after that time the institution was known as the Missouri-Pacific Lines Hospital Association. The hospital continued to operate until 1970. The buildings stand as reminders of the railroad's impact on the City of Palestine. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990