Step back in time with me to Crockett Place United Methodist Church. This isn’t just any church. It stands as the oldest protestant church in Crockett. It is the second oldest Methodist church in Texas.
Colonel William B. Travis sparked the flame for Methodist churches in Texas. In 1835 he wrote to a New York newspaper. He lamented the lack of religious guidance. He urged the church to remember Texas.
Sadly Travis never saw his wish fulfilled. He died at the Alamo. In 1837 Methodist missionaries rode into East Texas. These were Martin Ruter Littleton Fowler and Robert Alexander. Fowler founded the Methodist Church in Crockett.
Jim Foster recalled the early days. He said the first church was a long wooden building. It stood across from the current building. That street was once called Church Street. All the churches were on it. The wooden building burned down in 1870. A second wooden church served until 1901. Then this brick church was built.
The auditorium used the Akron Plan. It was a popular design. It had semi circle seating with no center aisle. This allowed children to move easily to Sunday School rooms. The cornerstone reads M. E. Church South Erected 1901. In 1968 the church earned a Texas Historical Marker. It is also on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
Hear the Meneely bell. It has a rich history. The church bought it in 1859 from Meneely’s Foundry in Troy New York. Andrew Meneely founded the company. He cast bells for the country and abroad. His most famous bell replaced the original Liberty Bell. It hangs in Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Listen to the Estey Organ. It is over a hundred years old. The Estey Organ Company in Vermont built it specifically for this church. Installed in 1915 it has over 800 pipes. Back then only 23 organs were in Texas. Only one was in Houston County and it was at the Crockett Place United Methodist Church.
The stained glass windows tell their own stories. They came from Bavaria around 1902. Then they went to Great Britain and Galveston. Finally they arrived in Crockett by rail. There are 19 windows in all. The South East window honors First Lieutenant Edward E. Downes. He died in the Spanish American War.
The three largest windows have hand painted sections. Many windows are memorials. Each window tells a story. It speaks of faith and Bible references. George and Gary Burnett donated a window. It honored their mother Catherine. She died in the Galveston hurricane of 1900. The image of Christ clinging to the cross represents their faith. Another window honors Pattie Smith and her son Ernest. They died in 1901. The window reminds us of Jesus’ words. Suffer the little children to come unto Me.
The North Central window is in memory of John McConnell Sr. He left Ireland and settled in Crockett. He owned a blacksmith shop and hardware store. He died in the flu epidemic of 1918. His sons gave the window in his memory.
Over time some windows needed repair. These repairs symbolize lives put back together by God’s grace. This church continues to evolve.
The First United Methodist Church in Crockett remains a beacon. It is a testament to faith community and history. It is a place where stories are told. It is a place where lives are touched. Reverend Cindy Doran says it best. This church is centered on the agenda of Christ.