Decatur First United Methodist Church
Posted by: 
gparkes
N 33° 14.006 W 097° 35.088
14S E 631858 N 3678058
This historical marker tells of the history of a church organized in 1862.
Waymark Code: WM8NEE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/23/2010
Views: 14
Marker Number: 1198
Index Entry: First United Methodist Church (Decatur)
Address: 104 S. Miller
City: Decatur
County: Wise
Subject Codes: churches; Methodist (Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist) denomination
Year Marker Erected: 1981
Marker Location: 104 S. Miller -Decatur
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 1198
Marker Text:
Organized in 1862, this congregation is the oldest in Decatur. The Reverend J. R. Bellamy conducted the first services in a vacant store on the south side of the town square. Other churches were not started in the community until after the Civil War. Instrumental leaders in the development of the young church were charter members Stephen M. Gose and his wife Mary. A blacksmith and farmer, Gose had migrated to this area from Missouri. Their home and pump organ were used for many of the early services. The first sanctuary was constructed at this site in 1881. Property for the congregation was deeded by the county government. Built during the pastorate of the Reverend E. D. Dejernet, the edifice was destroyed by fire in the early 1890s. A second church structure for the fellowship was soon built at this location. It served the growing membership until the present brick sanctuary was completed. Constructed under the leadership of the Reverend A. R. Nash, it was dedicated at Easter services in 1914. An educational wing was added in 1940. (1980)
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