Palestine Train Depot and Dogwood Trails Outing: March 25, 2023

Note: the March 25 train ride is sold out. Contact John Nixon for information about this outing, which will focus on the Palestine area.

  • This is an all day trip; Palestine is about a 2.5 hour drive from Fort Worth.
  • Address: 789 Park Road 70, Palestine, Texas; map
  • Purchase tickets and find more excursion information.
  • Above, magnolias, by Lifetime Member Sharon Wright.

Palestine was settled in the 1840s as a trading center and the name was later given by preacher Daniel Parker who had migrated from Palestine, Illinois. The rail line connecting the penitentiary at Rusk, Texas, was completed in 1909 and served to move timber and iron ore to and from the penitentiary. Discontinued in 1921, the Texas Department of Resources built the existing depots in the 1970s. The depots have been seen in the movies such as “O’ Brother, Where Are Thou” and most notably the recent filming of “1883.”

There are photographic opportunities at the train station as well as images of the train, the Anderson County Courthouse exterior and the annual dogwood floral display.

Find blooming dogwoods in Davey Dogwood Park as well as the trees and wildflowers all over town and in the surrounding countryside. Other activities include concerts and food/dining events.