DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in 1877, shortly after the railroad town of Handley got itself established, a congregation took root right here. Now that's the kind of thing that sounds simple enough until you start pulling on the threads.
The very first minister — a man by the name of Reverend J.J. Cannafax — wasn't just tending to souls on Sunday. He was also the town's first school teacher.
One man, two callings, one room to do it all in. For years, that one room schoolhouse was where the faithful gathered for services, which must have made for some interesting overlap between scripture and arithmetic. Then in 1882, something a little more permanent went up — a Union Church.
And that name meant what it said. The Methodist congregation shared that building with Baptists, Presbyterians, and other denominations, all under the same roof, for twenty-five years, all the way until 1907. Twenty-five years of neighbors making it work.
Now that bell you might notice at this site — that's not a reproduction, not a tribute, not a nod to the past. That bell is from the Old Union Church itself. A piece of that shared history still hanging in the air, still capable of ringing out across what is now part of Fort Worth.
Because Handley got folded into Fort Worth somewhere along the way, as towns sometimes do. But the Handley United Methodist Church held on to something most things lose when the maps change around them — a rich heritage and a tradition of service that started with one minister, one teacher, one room, and a railroad town just finding its footing.
What the marker says
This congregation was organized in 1877, shortly after the railroad town of Handley was established. The Rev. J.J. Cannafax, who was the first minister, also served as the town's first school teacher. Services were held in the one room schoolhouse until a Union Church was built in 1882. The Methodist congregation shared the building with Baptists, Presbyterians, and other denominations until 1907. The bell at this site is from the Old Union Church. Although Handley now is a part of Fort Worth, the Handley United Methodist Church maintains a rich heritage and tradition of service. (1985)