Anderson County is named for Kenneth L Anderson, who was the Vice President of the Republic of Texas.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Henderson County
E – Cherokee County
S – Houston County
W – Leon County, Freestone County and Navarro County
Created: March 24, 1845 
County Seat:
Fort Houston 1846 – 1847
Palestine 1847 – present
County Courthouse – Palestine
Location: 500 North Church Street / East Crawford Street
Built: 1913 – 1914
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Charles H Page and Brother of Austin
Contractor: R G Bryalson
Description: The building faces west and is a three story dark brown colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Palestine. The building sits on a gentle sloped hill. The west front has a large portico with three rectangular openings on the first story. Above the entrance, the portico is supported by six high columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story with a pediment above, Across the face of the building are columns rising from the second story to the top of the third story. There is a wide cornice at the roof line with a balustrade above. On the center of the roof is a large silver colored dome with the statue of Justice at the top. In the interior there is a spiral staircase in the center of the building with stained glass skylight at the bottom of the dome. Located on the second story, the State District Court courtroom is a two story high chamber with a curved ceiling and a painted mural at the top of rear. There is another courtroom on the west side. The County Court courtroom is located in the southeast corner of the third story. The building houses the State District Court, Constitutional County Court and County Court at Law. The building was restored in 1986.
See: The architect, C H Page and Brother of Austin designed other courthouses in Fort Bend County, Hall County, Hays County, Hunt County, Orange County, Travis County, Trinity County and Williamson County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Fort Houston was selected as the county seat in 1846. The first court was held in a log house at nearby Fort Houston in 1846. In 1847, the county seat was moved to Palestine. The first courthouse was a one story frame structure built in 1847. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1856. The third courthouse was also a brick structure designed by W C Dodson and Dudley and constructed by George A Wright in 1885 and was destroyed by fire in 1913. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1913 to 1914.
County Courthouse – Palestine
District Court courtroom
District Court courtroom
County Court courtroom
Cornerstone 1885 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2010 and 2019