Oak Haven United Methodist Church - Irving, TX
N 32° 49.869 W 096° 55.605
14S E 694060 N 3634472
Oak Haven United Methodist Church is located at 1600 N Irving Heights Dr, Irving, TX.
Waymark Code: WMRW2K
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2016
Views: 1
A 2003 Irving Centennial Marker provides some history:
This church's roots date back to the nineteenth century. In 1880, when this area was sparsely populated, local residents from various Christian denominations met together for Sunday school classes. Having no building, the group met under a brush arbor, or bower. The original name, Union Bower Sunday School, is believed to have been derived from this union of denominations meeting under a bower.
In 1905, the Methodist Church sent the Reverend W.E. Hawks to begin construction on a church building along today's eastern Grauwyler Rd. The church, known as Hawks Chapel Methodist Church, was dedicated in 1907.
In the early 1930s, the congregation renamed the church Union Bower Methodist Church. By the mid-1940s, members began planning a larger, modern building on the same site. They completed the new church in 1953.
The rapid growth in church membership paralleled the growth of Irving during the 1950s. By 1959, the congregation was again planning a larger church.
After selling their building in 1959, the members met for a time at Paul Keyes Elementary School. On Palm Sunday, 1961, the new church was dedicated and renamed "Oak Haven" to reflect the natural beauty of the grounds.
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The name "Union Bower" survives today primarily on a road name in eastern Irving, leading to the area where the Union Bower community was located. Union Bower had fallen into decline by the 1940s, and in the 1960s, it was annexed by the City of Irving. Notably, the Handbook of Texas Online indicates that another name for Union Bower may have been Hawks Chapel. While nominally about the grounds, the Oak Haven name change probably involved a desire to move away from the past, leaving the name "Union Bower" behind in the history books.
Active church?: Yes
Year Built: 1961
Service times:
Sunday, 10:45 AM. Spanish: 2:00 PM
Website: [Web Link]
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