Located in East Texas, Anderson County is the 52nd largest of the 254 counties in Texas; with a 2000 census population of 55,109. Significant cities in Anderson County include Palestine, the county seat, Elkhart, and Frankston. Anderson County falls within the 11th Texas congressional districts and the 3rd Texas senatorial district. The county consists of 1,077 square miles with a 2000 population density 51.2 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 65.6 persons per square mile. Rainfall in the county averages 41.70 inches per year compared to the Texas average of 21.0 inches per year.
Anderson County Courthouse
Created by the Texas Legislature on March 24, 1846, Anderson County was named for former republic of Texas Vice President Kenneth L. Anderson. The first court in the new county was held in a log house at nearby Fort Houston in 1846.
The First Anderson County courthouse, a one-story frame structure, was built in 1847. Located on the northeast corner of the square, it was replaced by a two-story brick courthouse in 1856. A third courthouse, also brick, was completed in 1886 but was destroyed by fire in 1913.
The fourth and present Anderson County courthouse was built in 1913-14. Designed by the Austin Architectural firm of Charles Page & Bro, it was dedicated on December 20, 1914. The Beaux –Arts style building features giant order ionic columns and pedimented porticoes on each façade, and is topped by a dome surmounted by a justice statue.
Still in use as the seat of justice for Anderson County, the courthouse underwent major restoration in 1986. The historically and architecturally significant building serves as a source of pride for the county residents.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1988
Governor Thomas Mitchell Campbell
(April 22, 1856 – April 1, 1912)
Born Near Rusk in Cherokee County, Thomas Mitchell Campbell was the son of Thomas Duncan and Rachel (More) Campbell. He financed his education by working for the county clerk in Longview. In 1878 Campbell was admitted to the bar and opened his law practice in Longview. He married Fannie Bruner the same year. Campbell moved to Palestine in 1891 after he was named receiver for the international & great Northern Railroad. He was general manager of the line, 1893-97.
In 1905, without prior political experience, Campbell announced as a candidate for Governor. He received the democratic nomination despite strong opposition at the party’s 1906 convention. Rallying supporters with the rousing march tune, “The Campbells Are Coming.” He won the election by a large margin and became Texas’ second native-born governor. The first was Campbell’s boyhood fired, Gov. James S. Hogg (1851-1906). In 1908 Gov. Campbell was elected to a second term. His administration was marked by strong anti-trust legislation, a pure food law, and prison reform.
When his term expired, Gov. Campbell returned to a banking and law career in Palestine. In 1916 he ran for the United States Senate but lost. He died in Galveston and was buried in Palestine’s East Hill Cemetery.
(1976)
