DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First United Methodist Church of Goliad. Pull up a chair, because this congregation has seen more of Texas history than most. It started in the 1840s — no building, no pews, just faithful people gatherin' in the Jackson home alongside the Presbyterians, sharing space the way frontier folks had to.
But this little congregation was growin', and by 1859, the Goliad Circuit of the Methodist Church reported 166 members. That made it the largest membership in the entire Rio Grande Conference. Out of all those congregations stretching across that vast conference, Goliad sat at the top.
Now, before emancipation, some African Americans worshipped alongside Anglo Methodists right here in this church. That continued until 1872, when the first African American church was organized in Goliad — a new chapter, a community finding its own footing and its own house of worship. More than eighty pastors have served this congregation over the years.
Some of them were circuit riders, which means they didn't just tend one flock — they rode out and served the Methodist church in Fannin as well. Men in the saddle, carrying the gospel across the Texas brush. Around 1852, the congregation finally got a building of their own — on the corner of Jefferson and Pearl.
But here's where it gets interesting. The church, with its eye firmly on education, sold that building to the Paine Female Institute. In exchange, they got use of the second floor auditorium.
That's a trade that tells you something about these people — they valued learning enough to hand over their own walls for it. After the institute was eventually sold, the congregation acquired new property and built a carpenter Gothic style frame church over at Pearl and Mechanic streets, also known as Chilton. And then came May 18, 1902.
An F4 tornado struck Goliad, and when the wind was done, the church was completely destroyed. Gone. Now, a lesser congregation might have walked away from that corner for good.
But not these folks. They rebuilt — and they rebuilt using wood salvaged from the former building itself. That's a kind of stubbornness that deserves its own sermon.
For the new structure, they brought in Jules Leffland, a Danish-born architect who had already left his mark on Goliad — homes, several downtown buildings, his fingerprints all over the town. Leffland designed a church dressed up with a wood steeple, Gothic-detailed window and door facings, and stained glass windows. It's the kind of building that makes you slow down when you pass it.
Over the years, additions came — an educational building, a parsonage, a fellowship hall. The congregation kept building, kept growing, kept reaching into the life of the community around it. From a gathering in someone's living room in the 1840s, to the largest circuit in the Rio Grande Conference, to riding out a tornado and rising right back up from its own timbers — the First United Methodist Church of Goliad has been woven into the moral, cultural, and educational fabric of this place for generations.
Some congregations just occupy a building. This one helped shape a town.
What the marker says
This historic congregation was organized in the 1840s. In 1859, the Goliad Circuit of the Methodist Church reported 166 members, the largest membership in the Rio Grande Conference. Some African Americans worshipped with Anglo Methodists before emancipation until 1872, when the first African American church was organized in Goliad. More than eighty pastors have served the church, some as circuit riders that also served the Methodist church in Fannin. The early congregation had no building but worshipped with Presbyterians in the Jackson home. The first church building was built around 1852 on the corner of Jefferson and Pearl. In line with their interest in education, the church sold their building to the Paine Female Institute in exchange for use of the 2nd floor auditorium. After the institute was sold, the congregation acquired property and built a carpenter Gothic style frame church at Pearl and Mechanic (Chilton) streets. On May 18, 1902, the church was completely destroyed when an F4 tornado struck. Soon, the church was rebuilt using wood from the former building. Danish-born architect, Jules Leffland, designed the church, along with homes and several downtown buildings. A wood steeple, Gothic-detailed window and door facings, and stained glass windows decorate the building. Several additions were made over the years, including an educational building, parsonage and fellowship hall. The First United Methodist Church of Goliad continues to enrich the spiritual life of the area, as well as have a great effect on the moral, cultural and educational development of the community. (2013)