For over a century, this church and cemetery have served the community of Payne Springs, originally known as Mallard Prairie. By 1880 the church already had a large membership and met in a log structure. The church building served as a gathering place for elections and political rallies. Summer revivals were held under a brush arbor on the church grounds. The revivals often lasted two weeks and were social as well as religious events.
Local tradition indicates the cemetery was started when a child from a family traveling west was buried by a small cedar tree in the churchyard. The first marked grave was that of a mother and daughter who were buried on the other side of the cedar. Elenor Reynolds (1812-1880) and her daughter, Mary Ann Davis (1829-1880), died within a day of each other.
The Mallard Prairie School once stood near the church and cemetery. It later moved across the road, and the growth of the cemetery took in land where the school and early church buildings stood. The burial ground now contains over 1,000 graves. An annual July 4th workday evolved into a fund raising event for the cemetery's upkeep. (1984)
Incise plate on reverse:
In Memory of Our Respective Families
Everett
Simpson
Frazier
McClure
Bowman
Price
Roy D. & Wanda Trotman Frazier
Joe W. & Jo Ann Price Surls