FORMER Moran Church of Christ - Moran, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member QuarrellaDeVil
N 32° 32.669 W 099° 09.912
14S E 484488 N 3600802
The former Moran Church of Christ stands at Grand Ave and Waters St, Moran, TX.
Waymark Code: WM109TZ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Weathervane
Views: 4

While there are Internet references to the building's being a museum, those days may be past, as there are "No Trespassing" signs on the front doors and bars on the windows. It could use a little TLC, but it looks to be in decent shape otherwise, and the museum sign is still up front.

A 2017 Texas Historical Marker at the back of Moran Cemetery provides some background:

The Hulltown Church of Christ organized shortly after the establishment of the village of Hulltown (later Moran) in 1883. In the early years, the congregation met in different homes. In 1886, real estate investor, Bem Scott, deeded Block 30, Lots 3 and 4 of the original town site to the church for construction of a church building, and work soon began at the corner of Cooper and Grace Streets. Hulltown/Moran pioneer, John C. English, did the rock work for the foundation while carpenters, E.A. Merritt and Frank McLaury, worked on the building with the help of church members.

Three of the earliest ministers were Silas Scarborough, W.A. Bentley and Squire L. Barker. During his minister, Barker wrote numerous articles for national Christian publications, and while advocating for relief efforts during the severe drought of 1886, he toured Red Cross founder, Clara Barton, around the Hulltown area. The longest-serving minister of the church was Elder, Cole Jackson (1882-1958), who was installed in 1910, a position he held until his retirement in 1949. The property was expanded and remodeled in 1954 with the capacity for almost 200 people.

Although the church continued to prosper, in the 1990s, membership had decreased until the church was closed in 2011. The building was sold in 2016 and a scholarship was created for young ministers at Abilene Christian University with the proceeds. The 130-year-old cast iron bell, manufactured by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio, was retained by the membership and relocated to a monument built to honor the church in the Moran Cemetery.

-----

As of this posting, there is no sign of the church bell anywhere in the cemetery, and presumably, it was atop the historical marker's hefty base. Hopefully, vandals have not been at work.

Reformed or Congregational Denomination: Church of Christ

Status: Converted to other use

Address:
Grand Avenue & Waters Street
Moran, TX USA
76464


Date of Construction or Event Occurrence: 01/01/1927

Associated Website: Not listed

Architect: Not listed

Visit Instructions:





A complete sentence or two or an uploaded photo taken by the waymarker will be required in the log to confirm that the logger is participating in the hobby in good faith. Logs of only a few words like "Visited it" without an original photo are subject to deletion.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Continental Reformed and Congregational Church Sites
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log  
WalksfarTX visited FORMER Moran Church of Christ - Moran, TX 10/10/2019 WalksfarTX visited it