Evangelical Free Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in 1884, Swedish immigrant settlers in Williamson County were gathering in each other's homes just to hold worship services. No building, no steeple, no bell.

Just neighbors, a shared faith, and somebody's front room. Now, that kind of quiet persistence has a way of building toward something bigger, and sure enough, by 1891 it did. That year, twenty-one charter members came together in the home of Mr. and Mrs.

Sven Peterson and organized what would become known as Brushy Evangelical Free Church. Twenty-one people in a house, deciding they were a congregation. That's a founding worth remembering.

The very next year, 1892, they built a sanctuary. The land came from C.J. Gustafson, who donated a piece of ground southeast of Georgetown, and on that ground the congregation planted something meant to last.

And last it did. That Georgetown site was acquired in 1960, and just three years on, in 1963, a new sanctuary was dedicated. From a borrowed parlor in 1884 to a dedicated house of worship in 1963, Brushy Evangelical Free Church grew alongside Williamson County itself, and by the time this marker was put to paper in 1988, the congregation had been woven into the fabric of that county for nearly a century.

Some things start small and just keep going. This is one of them.

What the marker says

Swedish immigrant settlers in Williamson County met together in homes for worship services as early as 1884. In 1891 this congregation was organized in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sven Peterson by 21 charter members. Known as Brushy Evangelical Free Church, the congregation built a sanctuary in 1892 on land southeast of Georgetown donated by C.J. Gustafson. This Georgetown site was acquired in 1960, and a new sanctuary was dedicated in 1963. This church has been part of Williamson County history for nearly a century. (1988)