Button Memorial United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that go deep, deeper than a lake, as a matter of fact. Back in 1853, a man named Reverend William E.

Bates (a Virginia native, mind you, a long way from home) came out to Little Elm and planted the seed of a Methodist congregation right there on the Texas prairie. Now in those early days, nobody was building fancy standalone churches just yet. The members shared a meetinghouse with other denominations out at John House Springs, neighbors in faith, making it work together the way folks on a frontier tend to do.

That arrangement held for decades. But come 1916, the congregation finally built their own facility. Their own place.

You could almost hear the sigh of satisfaction. Then, and here's where the story takes a turn, in the 1950s, the church had to move. Not because of a falling out, not because the congregation scattered.

No. They moved to make way for the construction of Lewisville Lake. The whole community of Little Elm was giving ground to rising water.

But that congregation? They didn't disappear. They kept going.

And in 1962, a descendant of early Little Elm settlers and church members George and Sarah Button donated funds for a brand new sanctuary. The congregation honored that gift the way it deserved: they renamed the church after the Button family. Button Memorial United Methodist Church.

From a shared meetinghouse at John House Springs to a name carved in stone, this congregation has been serving its members and the surrounding community every step of the way. Some things, it turns out, even a lake can't wash away.

What the marker says

The Rev. William E. Bates, a native of Virginia, established the Methodist congregation at Little Elm in 1853. Members shared a meetinghouse with other denominations at John House Springs and in 1916 built their own facility. In the 1950s, the church moved to make way for construction of Lewisville Lake. In 1962, a descendant of early Little Elm settlers and church members George and Sarah Button donated funds for a new sanctuary; members renamed the church in honor of the Button family. Throughout its history, the church has been active in its community, offering a variety of services and programs to members and area residents. (2006)