Details for Palestine High School

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5001008790

Data

Marker Number 8790
Atlas Number 5001008790
Marker Title Palestine High School
Index Entry Palestine High School
Address 400 Micheaux Avenue
City Palestine
County Anderson
UTM Zone 15
UTM Easting 250869
UTM Northing 3514580
Subject Codes educational buildings; educational topics; design and construction; Gothic Revial (Architectural style)
Marker Year 1986
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Yes
Marker Location 400 Micheaux Ave., Palestine
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text 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
ATLAS_NUM=5001008790

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