Central Christian Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Central Christian Church in Grayson County. Now settle in, because this story starts the way all the best Texas stories do, with somebody riding into new country with nothing but conviction and a calling. Late 1850s, and a pioneer minister by the name of Benjamin Franklin Hall came to this area to preach and to organize a church.

That's a name that carries some weight, doesn't it. Benjamin Franklin Hall. You get the feeling he showed up somewhere, looked around at the raw Texas frontier, and said, well, this will do fine.

Now, a congregation needs a place to meet, and in those early days the people gathered wherever they could. A brush arbor first, which, if you've never stood under one, is just poles and branches and sky and the understanding that the roof is somewhat optional. Then a Union meeting house at the local Masonic Hall.

Humble beginnings, sure, but the roots were going down deep. By 1875 the congregation had grown enough to build a proper sanctuary, right there on the corner of Montgomery and Houston streets. That was a statement.

That was a church planting its flag in Sherman. Then came 1895, and a new site was acquired on the corner of Travis and Cherry streets. And if you're keepin' score, 1905 brought a new church structure to go with it.

One corner, then another. One building, then another. That's not restlessness, that's a congregation growing into itself.

The marker puts it plainly: Central Christian Church has served the people of Sherman for over a hundred and thirty years, a part of Grayson County history from brush arbor to brick and mortar. Benjamin Franklin Hall rode into this country to start something. Turns out, he did.

What the marker says

This congregation traces its beginnings to the late 1850s, when pioneer minister Benjamin Franklin Hall came to this area to preach and organize a church. Early meeting places included a brush arbor and a Union meeting house at the local Masonic Hall. A sanctuary was built in 1875 on the corner of Montgomery and Houston streets. A site on the corner of Travis and Cherry streets was acquired in 1895, and a new church structure was erected in 1905. A part of Grayson County history, this church has served the people of Sherman for over 130 years.