Palestine Post Office and Federal Building

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Palestine Post Office and Federal Building. Now, some buildings just sit there. They hold the mail, they cash the checks, they shuffle the papers.

But every now and then, a building carries something bigger than its cargo. This one right here in Palestine, Anderson County, it's that kind of building. Back in 1907, the land at this site was purchased from St.

Philip's Episcopal Church, cleared and set aside for a new post office. The plans came from architects Deacon Armiger and Dunplap, working under the supervision of U.S. Treasury architect James Knox Taylor.

That's a serious chain of command, and the building they designed was meant to show it. Construction ran from 1911 to 1913, and when it was done, Palestine's commercial district had something that could not be ignored. Imposing is the word the marker uses, and I don't think that's an accident.

This was the federal government planting its flag right in the heart of downtown Palestine, saying: we are here, and we mean to stay. And stay it did. The post office shared that building with a Selective Service office and a National Weather Bureau reading station.

Federal business, federal presence, corner to corner. Now, the Palestine post office itself vacated in 1962. After that, for a good stretch running all the way to 1987, the building kept on serving, housing the offices of various federal agencies.

Then the General Services Administration declared the building surplus to its needs, and for a moment, you might have wondered what would become of it. That's where Anderson County stepped in. The county needed space for its workers, and more than that, somebody with sense recognized what was worth saving.

The property transferred to Anderson County in 1990. In 1998, the Palestine Post Office and Federal Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Purchased from a church, designed by government architects, built to project authority, and eventually handed off to the county it always served.

That building never did leave Palestine. It just changed hands.

What the marker says

Land at this site was purchased in 1907 from St. Philip's Episcopal Church for a new post office for Palestine. Architects Deacon Armiger and Dunplap, under the supervision of U. S. Treasury architect James Knox Taylor, drew the plans, and construction took place between 1911 and 1913. Located in Palestine's commercial district, the new post office building was an imposing addition to the downtown and prominently affirmed the presence of the federal government in Palestine. Other federal offices also were located in the building, including the Selective Service office and the National Weather Bureau's reading station. The Palestine post office vacated the building in 1962; thereafter, until 1987, it was used solely for the offices of various federal agencies. After the General Services Administration declared the building surplus to its needs, the county of Anderson, in search of additional space for county workers, stepped in to preserve the historic building. The property transfer to Anderson County took place in 1990. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, the Palestine Post Office and Federal Building remains a significant part of Palestine's architectural heritage. (2001)