First United Methodist Church

Introduction

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Originally constructed in 1902, First United Methodist Church offers a striking example of Gothic Revival architecture with complete buttresses, a tall three-story square corner tower, polychromatic brickwork, and Gothic stained glass windows manufactured in Bavaria, which is a state in Germany. The layout of the church is notable as well. It is a good example of what is called a Neomedieval Auditorium Church, a style that is prevalent in the South. The Methodist congregation that occupies the church was founded in 1839.

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First United Methodist Church was built in 1902 and is a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture.

Backstory and Context

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Individual Protestant missionaries arrived in what would become the state of Texas in the early 1800s when the Southwest was controlled by Spain. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, it prohibited the formal establishment of Protestant congregations in Texas through the 1830s. Up to that point, Catholicism had been the dominant religion in Texas. This situation changed when the Republic of Texas gained its independence from Mexico in 1835.

As a result, Protestantism spread throughout the state. It arrived in Crockett in 1839 when the congregation was founded here by Methodist preacher Littleton Fowler, just two years after the city and county were established. Other Protestant congregations (Baptist, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians) formed in the coming years. The First Methodist congregation initially gathered in member's homes, in outdoor camps, and a shared church building before building a small wood-frame church on a property it bought in 1858. The congregation grew in the coming years, becoming the second largest in the town by 1901 with 239 members (the population in Crockett was 2,000 at the time).

This growth prompted the construction of the present church building in 1902. By 1920, the congregation continued to grow and it was apparent that a new activity space was needed. As a result, the congregation built an Education Annex directly attached to the church in 1922. Membership of the congregation kept rising, which prompted the construction of the Fellowship Hall and classroom wing in 1953. The Education Building was later built in 1968. The most recent addition to the church complex, the multi-purpose Family Life Center, was erected in 1998. The original church building was renovated from 1976-1978. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 for its Gothic Revival architecture and its role as an important religious institution in Crockett.

Sources

Parker, Timothy & Penick, Monica. "First United Methodist Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 21, 2011. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40972612/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/11000133.pdf.

Storey, John W. "Religion." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed October 31, 2020. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/religion.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FirstMethodistChurch1.JPG