Story of the Abandoned Texas Railroad Depot

Video Corrections:

1. The town is actually pronounced "Pal-ess-steen". My apologies for the mistake.

2. After making the video, I have learned that, although the railroad story was correct, this particular location is unrelated to the story. It's actually an abandoned aluminum smelting facility that has been abandoned since the 70's ( https://www.forbes.com/global/2003/1110/032.html?sh=701a1bb451e7 ). Still a cool place to explore, but I apologize for the inaccurate information. I did all the research that I could to find out about the history of this place, but unfortunately, sometimes my limited amount of data leads me to the wrong conclusions. I will be more careful before drawing any conclusions when I have incomplete data in the future. And now, on to the railroad story!

Near the town of Palestine, Texas sits an abandoned Union Pacific Railroad Depot.

Seeing nature reclaim its domain back from humans can always be fascinating, but perhaps even more remarkable is the story behind these crumbling buildings.

This is the story of Palestine, a small but determined town that has taken on a powerful giant, not once, but twice, each time refusing to give in.

It all started in 1872, when a far-reaching agreement was made by a handshake between the then Anderson County judge and the International and Great Northern Railroad.

The City of Palestine gave the IGN Railroad $150,000, plus land, to come into Palestine and build headquarters and freight car and locomotive shops in Palestine. In return, the railroad signed a contract that stated that the railroad would employ a certain percentage of certain groups of rail employees in Palestine forever.

The contract also went so far as to say that any successors of the IGN Railroad would be bound by that same agreement in perpetuity.

The IGN eventually gave way to the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and in the 1950's, Missouri Pacific attempted to void the contract. The Fifth Circuit federal court sided with the city.

Several decades went by, and then, in 1987, Union Pacific officially took over Missouri Pacific.

Before long, the legal battle picked up right where it had left off about 30 years earlier with Missouri Pacific, and the struggle is still ongoing.

Union Pacific has stated that they need to stay financially competitive, and that means saving $5 million dollars a year by closing down its holdings in Palestine. That explains why there are abandoned facilities like this one to be found in the area, as Union Pacific is in the process of moving its facilities to other locations.

The City of Palestine contends that the Palestine Agreement has benefited the railroad for almost 150 years, and now the railroad needs to abide by the agreement that it signed.

For these reasons, the people of Palestine, Texas, and the Union Pacific Railroad are locked in a fierce legal battle, with money, livelihoods, tradition, and pride all at stake in this struggle where the winner will take all.

Thus, we'll do well to realize an important truth: as peaceful and serene as this overgrown, abandoned Union Pacific Railroad Depot seems, history has taught us that there is often more than meets they eye.

Sources:

https://www.up.com/aboutup/train_town/palestine_tx/index.htm

https://www.palestineherald.com/news/php-letter-to-the-editor-dont-roll-over-for-railroad/article_f83c81ee-1b6c-11ea-90e5-b725870135e5.html

https://www.kltv.com/2019/12/18/officials-fight-union-pacific-lawsuit-that-threatens-east-texas-jobs/

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