Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery out in Ellis County. Now, some communities grow up around a river crossing, or a crossroads, or a courthouse square. This one grew up around a family.

Archibald and Mary Greathouse settled in this part of Ellis County in 1848, and the land took their name: a creek, a community, a whole way of life rooted right there in that stretch of Texas prairie. The heart of that community, when it finally took shape, was a piece of land deeded in 1881 by a man named Ezekiel M. Brack.

Later, Martin Judy Dawson and George W. Whitefield added their own property to the cause. On that ground rose three things that meant civilization on the frontier: a church, a school, and a cemetery.

The church came first, and somebody had to build it. That somebody was John Edward Dawson, who hauled lumber all the way from Waxahachie (by oxcart, mind you) to put up the Greathouse Missionary Baptist Church. When a man hauls timber by ox to build a house of worship, you can be pretty sure the community intends to last.

Leading that congregation from the pulpit first was the Reverend John Bailey, the church's first pastor. Other early leaders followed: Martin Judy Dawson Jr., Caswell R. Tirey, and Thomas A.

Tirey among them. In the 1890s, they started holding school inside that same church building. One structure, doing the work of two.

That's Ellis County efficiency for you. Out in the cemetery, the oldest known grave belongs to Nancy Caroline Sims, born in 1828 and laid to rest in 1881, the same year Ezekiel Brack signed over that land. The ground was already receiving its people even as the community was just finding its footing.

For a good while, Greathouse hummed along. But then, in 1904, the railroad reached the nearby town of Maypearl. And when the railroad arrives, it doesn't just bring goods; it pulls people toward it like iron filings to a magnet.

Residents packed up and moved, and Greathouse began to decline. The school closed in 1912. The church held on longer, but it too shut its doors around 1927.

The frame building itself was razed in 1958. You might think that's where the story ends. Plenty of Texas communities fade that quietly, leaving nothing but a name on an old deed.

But here's what Greathouse left behind. Out of that small rural settlement came four Christian ministers: the Reverend Joseph M. Dawson, born in 1879 and living all the way to 1973, known as a prominent Baptist leader; the Reverend Everett H.

Tirey; the Reverend J.W. Whitefield Jr.; and the Reverend Austin Woodard. Four preachers from one little community.

And if that weren't enough, the community also produced Judge Jake Tirey, who served on the Texas Court of Civil Appeals. The church is gone. The school is gone.

But a cemetery association, formed in 1974, still maintains that burial ground. The people of Greathouse may have scattered, but somebody is still out there keeping the grass cut and the memory alive. Not bad for a place that started with one family, a creek, and a name.

What the marker says

Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery Archibald and Mary Greathouse, who settled in this area in 1848, gave their name to a creek and rural community that grew up here. The church, school, and cemetery that formed the focal point of community life were located on land deeded in 1881 by Ezekiel M. Brack, and on property deeded later by Martin Judy Dawson and George W. Whitefield. John Edward Dawson hauled lumber from Waxahachie by oxcart to erect the Greathouse Missionary Baptist Church building. Other early church leaders included Martin Judy Dawson, Jr., Caswell R. Tirey, and Thomas A. Tirey. The Rev. John Bailey was the first pastor. In the 1890s, a school was begun in the church building. Oldest known grave in the cemetery is that of Nancy Caroline Sims (1828-1881). When the railroad reached nearby Maypearl in 1904, many residents moved there and Greathouse began to decline. The school closed in 1912 and the church about 1927. The frame building was razed in 1958. A cemetery association, formed in 1974, maintains the burial ground. This community produced four Christian ministers: the Rev. Joseph M. Dawson (1879-1973), a prominent Baptist leader; the Rev. Everett H. Tirey; the Rev. J.W. Whitefield, Jr.; and the Rev. Austin Woodard. Another resident, Judge Jake Tirey, served on the Texas Court of Civil Appeals. (1978)