First Methodist Church of Trenton

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight from the record. Back in 1887, a group of folks gathered at the Union Church in Trenton, Fannin County, and they had something on their minds. They weren't just dropping in for a Sunday visit.

They were there to organize. What they built that day was the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and standing at the front of that new congregation was their first pastor, the Reverend W. J.

Bludworth. Now that's a name that carries some weight, and you get the feeling he was not a man who did things halfway. The organizing was done, the church was real, and the work was just beginning.

Nine years passed. Then, in 1896, the congregation put up their first sanctuary, a proper house of worship. And by that point, they weren't a small gathering anymore.

Two hundred members. Two hundred souls showing up, building something together. They didn't stop there either.

They established organizations for the youth, for the women, for the men. As the congregation kept growing, additional facilities followed, meeting whatever the church needed at the time. What started as a meeting at the Union Church became something that outlasted every doubt anyone might have had about a little town in Fannin County holding it together.

Rich with traditions, the marker says, and still serving the community after more than a century. Some things, it turns out, are built to last.

What the marker says

In 1887 members gathered at the Union Church in Trenton to organize the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The first pastor was the Rev. W. J. Bludworth. In 1896 the first sanctuary was built, and the congregation included 200 members. Organizations were established for the members including those for youth, women, and men. Additional facilities were provided to meet the needs of the church as the congregation grew. Rich with traditions, this church continues to serve the community as it has for over a century.