DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and it's a story worth telling slow. Way back in April of 1850, a man named Bishop G.W. Freeman rode into Crockett and began the work that would eventually become a congregation.
Now, the church itself — All Saints Episcopal — wasn't formally founded until October 1, 1864, when Bishop Alexander Gregg brought it into being. And from the very start, this was a place with a special ministry, one that brought many slaves into the parish. That's not a small thing.
That's a congregation reaching across the hardest divides of its era, and it deserves a moment of quiet recognition. The church that rose out of that founding was built on a lot given by a man named A.T. Monroe — nephew of the fifth President of the United States.
That's the kind of detail that makes you stop and look around a room differently. But here's where the story takes a turn. By 1867, the church building had been lost — possibly in a fire, the marker says, and that word possibly carries a weight all its own — and the local economy was in ruins, ground down by the aftermath of the Civil War.
So what do you do when the building is gone and the world outside is barely standing? You worship in homes. With layreaders, with part-time priests, with visiting clergy making the rounds.
For many years, that's how All Saints kept its faith alive — passing it hand to hand, roof to roof. Then 1947 came, and the congregation reactivated. And in 1958, they built a second church.
Not a replacement. A continuation. All Saints Episcopal in Crockett — started by a bishop, shaped by a ministry that refused easy limits, kept alive in living rooms when there was nothing else, and still standing.
What the marker says
Bishop G.W. Freeman began work of this faith in Crockett, April 19, 1850. All Saints was founded Oct. 1, 1864, by Bishop Alexander Gregg. Special ministry brought many slaves into the parish. A church was built on lot given by A.T. Monroe, nephew of fifth U.S. President, but by 1867, the church building had been lost (possibly in a fire) and local economy was in ruins as result of Civil War. With layreaders and part-time or visiting priests, worship was held in homes for many years. Reactivated in 1947, All Saints built a second church in 1958. (1972)