DUANE
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Duane's take
The way the marker on this old church tells it, here's how I'm bringin' you the story. Back in 1879, a congregation came together in Greenville and called itself First Christian Church. They had a leader right from the start, Elder James Pickens, a minister who'd made his way up from Alabama, and the earliest gatherings happened inside a Union Church over on Lee Street.
That's where it all began, just a small flock finding its footing. Then came the Rev. T.
W. Caskey, the first regular pastor of the church, and things started taking a more permanent shape. A small frame sanctuary went up on Wesley Street, and the congregation had itself a proper home.
But Greenville was growing, and a frame building on Wesley Street wasn't going to be the last word. When the congregation decided to build a new sanctuary, they changed the name too. First Christian Church became Central Christian Church, and between 1898 and 1899, they raised something that would outlast everything else built for worship in that town.
Twenty-three thousand dollars, that's what it cost, and what they got for that money was the oldest church structure remaining in Greenville. You want to talk about building something to last, well, here it is. Gothic revival style, towers still standing intact, art glass windows catching the light, and this exceptional grill-like brickwork that people still stop and study to this day.
Now a building is only as alive as the people inside it, and this congregation never forgot that. Over the years, Central Christian Church members helped establish new churches right there in town, kept foreign missionary work going, and maintained local outreach programs alongside it. They were, as the marker puts it, an integral part of the community.
Then in 1986, the congregation looked at what they had and decided it was worth saving the right way. A major restoration project began, and the work they did stands now as a fine example of local historic preservation. A church organized in 1879, a sanctuary built in 1898 and 1899, and it's still there in Greenville.
Some things, when you build them with enough care, just refuse to come down.
What the marker says
This congregation was organized in 1879 as First Christian Church. Led by Elder James Pickens, a minister from Alabama, the congregation first met in a Union Church on Lee Street. The Rev. T. W. Caskey served as the first regular pastor of the church, and a small frame sanctuary was built on Wesley Street. The name of the congregation was changed to Central Christian Church when the present sanctuary was built in 1898-99. The oldest church structure remaining in Greenville, it was built at a cost of $23,000. An outstanding, robust example of the Gothic revival style of architecture, it features intact towers, art glass windows, and exceptional grill-like brickwork. Throughout its history, this congregation has been an integral part of the community. Central Christian Church members have been instrumental in establishing new churches in town and have maintained both foreign missionary and local outreach programs. Recognizing the need to preserve this church as a local landmark, the congregation began a major restoration project in 1986. It now stands as a fine example of local historic preservation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989