Palestine High School

A public school system in Palestine was established in 1881 under control of the municipal government. The first classes were held at the old Palestine Female Institute (built in 1858), then a high school was built in 1888 at the Institute site on Avenue A. In 1915 voters passed a $100,000 bond issue for a new high school. The City Council chose this site in newly created, 22-acre Reagan Park for the campus. Fort Worth architects Sanguinet & Staats were chosen for the design, which features Tudor Gothic -- or Jacobethan -- detail in brick, limestone, and occasional tile panels. The 2-story structure, on a raised basement, is framed with reinforced concrete, allowing ample window space for air and light. The original plan included eight lecture rooms, a library, a gymnasium, laboratories, and an auditorium. A principal and 10 teachers comprised the first faculty, and the first graduating class in 1917 contained 38 students. This building became a junior high in 1939, and was named in 1955 for John Henninger Reagan (1818-1905), Texas statesman and Palestine resident. Elementary grades were assigned here from 1966 to 1976, when the school was closed. The building was then preserved and rehabilitated as a museum and cultural center. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986

Palestine High School is a historical marker in Palestine, Anderson County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 115 historical markers documented in Anderson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 227 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.7582, -95.6276 near Palestine. The nearest cataloged historic site is Robert (Bob) Knight (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Dr. Bonner Frizzell, Roy B. Wallace, and John H. Reagan.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5001008790. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.