Palacios Area Historical Association
Membership Information

Palacios Historical Markers

Below is a list of Historical Markers located in or around Palacios, Texas, They are listed for those who have an interest in the history of Palacios. Not all markers are listed on this page as we have covered in more detail the Pavilion, the Luther Hotel, and the Hill building.

Erected: 1986

Palacios Preparatory School

Opened in 1910, the Palacios Preparatory School was located at this site, behind the family home of its founder, Martha Pearl Dickson McGuire (1876-1962), and her family. Music instruction was given in upstairs rooms of the home. It was the first Palacios school to offer courses in cultural arts in addition to academics. Students performed twice a year in public programs. As many as sixty pupils were enrolled, and parents often traded labor on school projects for childrens' tuition. The school closed in 1918, when the McGuire family moved to Palestine, Texas. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.

Erected: 1998

Cates-Price House

John T. and Opal Cates Price arrived in Palacios in 1906 and were soon joined by Opal's parents, Reuben and Lula Cates. They purchased adjoining lots, and by 1910 architect Winn Wood had designed companion homes for the two couples. The Prices sold their house within the decade and moved next door next to the Cates house. Though the craftsmen bungalow was a dominant style of the early 20th century, this example is unusual in its side-gabled roof and second story with dormers and veranda. It was a showplace and hosted such guest as former Texas Gov. Pat Neff, who dined here weeks before John Price's accidental drowning death in July 1921. The home was the unofficial Camp Hulen Officers' Club during World War ll. Mrs. Price and Mrs Cates lived here until 1946. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1998.

Erected: 1968

Texas Baptist Encampment Gounds

Selected in 1906 by the Texas Baptist convention as the site for a permanent encampment grounds, this coastal area was the scene of many inspirational camp meetings typical of Texas and the entire south in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In those days thousands of families would come by wagon, surrey, buggy, but primarily by train to spend weeks or longer at the grounds. Religious activities and the opportunity for relaxation and social life made the days pass pleasantly. The campers enjoyed fishing, swimming, and boat rides on the bay. On opening day of the first camp meeting here (held July 3-12, 1906) gate keepers had to use buckets to collect the $1 admission fees -- typically paid in silver dollars. Campers stayed in the varied quarters provided and cooked their meals out of doors. Over the years, many outstanding baptist ministers spoke at the meetings. Among these were John L. Hill and George W. Truett. Prominent leaders included J.F. Barnett, R.H. Coleman, T.C. Gardner, and Bob Jolly. The first permanent auditorium was moved from La Porte (site of earlier encampments). It was replaced by a memorial auditorium, 1923. The present building was erected after the hurricane of 1942. (1968)

Erected: 1986

Palacios Cemetery

The primary burial ground for citizens of Palacios, this cemetery dates to the beginnings of the community. The death of Alice Singer in 1905, three years after the founding of Palacios, gave rise to the need for a community cemetery. The land, which was once a part of the estate of Texas Cattle Baron A.H. "Shanghai" Pierce, was donated to the city for use as a cemetery by the Texas Rice Development Company and the Palacios Townsite Company. The plot was surveyed in 1907, and additional land was acquired in 1918 and 1983. Located just west of the original townsite, the cemetery's grave sites are marked with a variety of monuments, from simple wooden crosses and carved angels to large granite stones. A large monument to honor U.S. military veterans was erected in 1963 by local posts of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Soldiers and veterans of six wars are buried here -- The Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Additionally, stones marking the graves of Vietnamese refugees, a number of whom settled in Palacios and other Texas coastal towns after 1975, can be seen here. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.

Erected: 1999

First Presbyterian Church of Palacios

The First Presbyterian Church of Palacios was organized by the Rev. W.S. Red on June 30, 1907, in the local Methodist Church Pioneer Hall. Eighteen people joined the congregation that day, many of them active in the early growth of Palacios itself. William Clement was elected ruling elder. Duncan Ruthven, a founding member, was elected mayor when Palacios was incorporated in 1909. A church building was completed at Third and Morton streets in 1910, built at a cost of $5,393.02. In May 1911 the congregation called Dr. J. P. Green as its first full-time pastor, and the church was chartered by the state of Texas that November. By 1912 church organizations included the Sunday School, the Westminster League, and a Ladies' Aid and Missionary Society. The congregation established a Mexican mission that year. An education building was completed in 1948. During World War II, a soldiers' center operated by the church was important to nearby Camp Hulen. A new sanctuary was dedicated in 1951. The Mexican mission became the second Presbyterian church of Palacios in 1955. The congregation has long been active in the cooperation of religious denominations and the improvement of racial relations in Palacios. Church women worked toward the desegregation of Palacios public schools in the 1960s and, with Methodist, Catholic and Baptist churches, members sponsored a multi-racial tutorial program. In 1975 the congregation sponsored a Vietnamese family immigrating to the United States. The First Presbyterian Church of Palacios continues in the traditions of its founders, active in worship and in service to its diverse community and its mission worldwide. (1999)