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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the |
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| 8 | 9 | | 89th Texas Legislature are pleased to recognize the city of |
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| 9 | 10 | | Palestine and to honor its residents for the important |
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| 10 | 11 | | contributions they are making to the Lone Star State; and |
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| 11 | 12 | | WHEREAS, In 1846, the first legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 12 | 13 | | established Anderson County, and a county seat was laid out at its |
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| 13 | 14 | | center on a 100-acre tract; it was named Palestine after a town in |
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| 14 | 15 | | Illinois, the previous home of early settlers; the town's early |
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| 15 | 16 | | prosperity derived from the shipment of agricultural goods down the |
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| 16 | 17 | | Trinity River; in 1875, the county gave a $150,000 bonus to the |
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| 17 | 18 | | International-Great Northern Railroad for locating its |
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| 18 | 19 | | headquarters in Palestine, and within five years, the town's |
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| 19 | 20 | | population doubled to more than 4,000; prominent citizens hired |
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| 20 | 21 | | such noted architects as Nicholas Clayton and Wesley Clark Dodson |
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| 21 | 22 | | to design numerous buildings that are now landmarks; and |
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| 22 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Palestine has continued to thrive as a |
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| 23 | 24 | | transportation and shipping hub, due to its favorable location on |
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| 24 | 25 | | major highways as well as the Union Pacific Railroad; in the 1980s, |
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| 25 | 26 | | Walmart built its first distribution center outside of Arkansas in |
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| 26 | 27 | | Palestine, and the retail giant added another center in 1994; the |
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| 27 | 28 | | city is also home to wholesale beverage and aerospace parts |
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| 28 | 29 | | distributors and a growing medical industry; nurturing a |
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| 29 | 30 | | well-educated workforce, it supports two colleges, Trinity Valley |
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| 30 | 31 | | Community College-Palestine and The University of Texas at Tyler |
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| 31 | 32 | | Palestine Campus; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, A designated Texas Main Street City, Palestine draws |
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| 33 | 34 | | visitors with a magnificent architectural legacy of structures |
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| 34 | 35 | | dating from the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries, among them |
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| 35 | 36 | | many restored Victorian homes; it boasts more than 1,800 historic |
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| 36 | 37 | | sites, and the Texas State Railroad, the oldest heritage railway in |
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| 37 | 38 | | the state, offers both steam and diesel train excursions; in |
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| 38 | 39 | | addition, travelers flock to Palestine to marvel at the unique |
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| 39 | 40 | | beauty of the dogwood trees at Davey Dogwood Park, a 254-acre park |
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| 40 | 41 | | with eight miles of unincorporated hiking and biking trails and |
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| 41 | 42 | | scenic views; and |
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| 42 | 43 | | WHEREAS, Palestine has practiced careful stewardship of its |
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| 43 | 44 | | rich past and natural beauty while adapting to the changing demands |
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| 44 | 45 | | of modern commerce, and its residents may take justifiable pride in |
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| 45 | 46 | | the dynamic and beautiful place they call home; now, therefore, be |
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| 46 | 47 | | it |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | Legislature hereby recognize the city of Palestine and extend to |
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| 49 | 50 | | its citizens sincere best wishes for the future. |
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