The I&GN Railroad in Palestine

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the I&GN Railroad and the town of Palestine, Texas. Now, every town has a moment — one decision, one gamble — that shapes everything that comes after. For Palestine, that moment rolled in on iron rails.

The Texas Legislature established Palestine as the Anderson County seat back in 1846, and the town grew steady through those remaining decades of the nineteenth century, inching close to nine thousand residents by the time 1900 rolled around. In the early going, Palestine's lifeblood ran along the Trinity River. Steamboats came and went, bringing in staples and hauling out local and East Texas products.

It was a decent arrangement — except for one stubborn problem. That river was only navigable for half of each year. The other half, folks were back to ox-drawn wagons, moving goods the slow and grinding way.

Half a year of progress, half a year of patience. You can only live like that so long before you start lookin' for something better. And Palestine's leaders were looking.

John H. Reagan and George A. Wright saw what a railroad could do, and they went to work building support to offer county money to the Houston and Great Northern Railroad.

That line later consolidated into the International and Great Northern Railroad — the I&GN — and in 1872, it reached Palestine. That arrival was just the beginning. Between 1874 and 1875, the railroad made a statement.

It moved its headquarters to Palestine. Shops followed. A roundhouse followed.

The I&GN didn't just pass through town — it planted itself there and became a vital economic force. From the time rail construction began and on well past 1900, the railroad was the single biggest employer in Palestine. Workers came from other parts of Texas, from other states, from other countries entirely.

A county immigration society helped promote those efforts, and the local newspaper sent out thousands of circulars actively recruiting newcomers. Families arrived from far away and made their lives in East Texas, turning Palestine into something genuinely international — which is not a word you'd expect to hear attached to a county seat deep in the piney woods. Now here's the wrinkle that tells you something about how Palestine thought about itself.

When they ran the railroad line into town, local leaders made a deliberate choice: route it west of the original town square and courthouse. They didn't want the noise, they didn't want the traffic, they didn't want all that rail commotion crowding the place the town had been built around. That original district became known as Old Town.

But the railroad has a way of deciding where life happens. A New Town developed right around the rail depot — and for decades, Old Town and New Town existed as two separate worlds stitched onto the same map. It took a long while before the two sections blended together.

The automobile eventually lessened the grip rail travel and shipping had on everyday life — that's the nature of things, one era giving way to the next. But the marker makes a point of noting that the railroad's impact is still seen in Palestine today. The shape of the town, the two districts, the international community that put down roots — all of it traces back to that iron line that came rolling in, in 1872, and decided to stay.

What the marker says

The I&GN Railroad in Palestine Established as Anderson County seat in 1846 by the Texas Legislature, Palestine grew steadily throughout the remaining 19th century, nearing 9,000 residents by 1900. The town first centered on trade facilitated by the Trinity River, with frequent steamboats bringing in staples in exchange for local and East Texas products. The river, however, was only navigable for half of each year, leaving residents to rely on ox-drawn wagons at other times. Realizing the potential of the railroad, local leaders John H. Reagan and George A. Wright garnered wide support to offer county money to the Houston and Great Northern Railroad, later consolidated into the International and Great Northern Railroad, which reached Palestine in 1872. Between 1874 and 1875, the railroad moved its headquarters, along with shops and a roundhouse, to the town and became a vital economic force. From the time rail construction began until beyond 1900, the railroad was the biggest employer in Palestine. Many employees came from other parts of the state and nation, as well as from other countries. A county immigration society helped promote immigration efforts, and the local newspaper sent thousands of circulars recruiting newcomers. Many immigrant families lived in Palestine, creating an international community in East Texas. In an effort to spare the courthouse and original town square the noise and traffic associated with a railroad, the line was routed west of what became known as Old Town, the town's original business district. New Town developed around the rail depot, however it was decades before the two sections blended together. Although the automobile lessened the reliance on rail travel and shipping, the impact of the railroad is still seen in Palestine today. (2003)