Harrison Chapel

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Freestone County, there's a place that started small, held firm, and left a mark on the land that's still there today. This is the story of Harrison Chapel.

It begins, as so many Texas stories do, with a handful of people and a whole lot of open country. Back in the 1850s, a congregation organized here with just twelve members. Twelve.

That's it. Small enough to fit in somebody's front room, which, out on the Texas frontier, is probably exactly where they met. But a church is more than a building, and this one was growing roots before it ever had walls.

The land for the church itself was given by a pioneer named George Harrison. That word, pioneer, carries weight. This wasn't someone who arrived after the roads were laid.

This was someone who came when there were no roads. And he gave this community a place to stand. With settlers pouring into the area, Harrison Chapel grew.

Grew in numbers, grew in faith, grew in reach. The congregation worked with people from a large surrounding area, and the anchor of that outreach was the annual camp meeting. If you've never been to a camp meeting, picture this: folks traveling from miles around, wagons pulling in, families setting up, and preaching that goes on long enough to outlast the Texas heat.

That was the heartbeat of this community. And the pastors who kept that heart beating, well, the marker names three worth remembering. The Reverend Horace Bishop.

The Reverend A. M. Eubank.

The Reverend A. C. Littlepage.

Three men called out by name as noted pastors, which means they were remembered for a reason. The land for the cemetery was given by Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Harrison, and that ground became the final resting place for many early settlers, including numerous Confederate veterans.

When you walk a cemetery like that, you're walking through a whole chapter of Texas history, one stone at a time. The heirs of those buried there still gather for annual commemorations. The thread between past and present, still unbroken.

Now, in 1870, the church itself moved on down to the town of Dew. But the cemetery stayed. The land stays.

And in Freestone County, the story of Harrison Chapel stays with it.

What the marker says

Organized in 1850s, with twelve members. Site for the Methodist church was given by a pioneer, George Harrison. With influx of settlers, church grew firm in faith, and worked with people from a large surrounding area, through annual camp meetings. The Rev. Horace Bishop, the Rev. A. M. Eubank and the Rev. A. C. Littlepage were noted pastors. Site for cemetery was given by Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Harrison. Many early settlers, including numerous Confederate veterans, are buried here. Heirs gather for annual commemorations. The church moved to Dew in 1870.