378 - First United Methodist Church - Belton, TX - Historic United Methodist Sites on Waymarking.com

The first petition to establish a county out of Milam County to be called Clear Water County was ignored in Austin, but two years later a second petition – this time asking that the county be named Bell County after then Governor Bell – succeeded and Bell County came into being in 1850. The city fathers of the new county seat provided for the development of churches, setting aside lot 3 of block 16 for a Methodist Church on Pearl Street.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was completed in 1854 near the site where our present building is now located and allowed the Methodist Congregation to meet there once a month until our first building was completed. The first church building was of native stone and hewn cedar begun in the late 1850’s and completed in the early 1860’s.

Apparently our little city was known outside of Texas, because a group of merchants from New York City gave a steeple bell to our church in honor of Dr. John Embree in the early 1870’s.

By 1884 the congregation outgrew the original church building and the present site on East and Third Avenue was selected.  The present building was completed in 1886.  The steeple bell was moved to the new site where it continues to call worshipers to services each Sunday morning.  The new church was so impressive as it sat on a high point in the city it was referred to as “The Cathedral Church of the Northwest Conference” by Bishop Joseph S. Key in 1889 when the annual conference was held in Belton.

A major renovation took place in 1925. The timbers of the upper tower had to be removed and the structure shortened by 16 feet. A dome covered the tower until the present steel and fiberglass steeple could be built.