Historical Marker

Anderson County Poor Farm

Historical marker location:
Palestine, Texas
( about 2.5 mi. south of Palestine on S. Sycamore Rd. (FM 322))
Marker installed: 1986

Although county records show some attempts to care for the poor as early as the 1860s, property for a poor farm was not purchased until 1884. Various buildings were erected, including housing for residents and a caretaker, storage barns, a cotton gin, and a canning operation. A jail building was also in use for convict laborers who worked on the farm and on county roads. The ruins of several wells can still be seen throughout the property. A cemetery containing some 75-100 graves is located near the southern edge of the original farm site.

Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986.