Dresden United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Navarro County, there's a church with a story that goes back further than most Texans can remember. The Dresden United Methodist Church.

And friend, this one's got layers. Let's start at the beginning, which in this case means 1847. That's when the Rev.

James E. Ferguson was appointed to Richland, the first Methodist circuit in all of Navarro County. Now, you might recognize that name, Ferguson.

The reverend, born in 1824, was the father of a future Texas governor. But in 1847, he wasn't anybody's father of a governor. He was a circuit preacher on the frontier, riding out to a place called Richland.

A place that would eventually be known as Dresden. The man who knew it as Richland, the man who built the bones of that community, was Ethan Melton. Born in 1793, Melton is counted as the founder of Dresden, and he gave something precious: land.

Land for a school. Land for a cemetery. And land for the church.

That's the kind of founding that sticks. Now, on that land, in that same year of 1847, a log cabin meetinghouse went up. Simple, sturdy, the kind of structure that said: we are here, and we intend to stay.

But the frontier had opinions about that. A storm came, and it razed that first structure right down to nothing. They built again.

Then fire came, and took the second. Two blows, two losses, and still this congregation did not scatter. The present building stands near that original land.

Same ground Ethan Melton gave. And what grew from that ground wasn't just one church holding on. This congregation helped Blooming Grove Mission grow into a full-fledged church, and it has aided other congregations along the way.

Some places just survive. Some places actually give. Dresden United Methodist Church has done both.

What the marker says

The Rev. James E. Ferguson (1824-76), father of Texas Governor James Ferguson, was appointed in 1847 to Richland (later Dresden), the first Methodist circuit in Navarro County. Ethan Melton (1793-1873), the founder of Dresden -- which was "Richland" in his day -- gave land for a school, cemetery, and the church. A log cabin meetinghouse stood here in 1847. A storm razed that structure; fire, another. The present building stands near the original land. This church helped Blooming Grove Mission become a full-fledged church and has also aided other congregations.