Iredell First United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Bosque County, in the little community of Iredell, there's a congregation with roots that run deep into the Texas frontier. And the story starts, as so many good Texas stories do, with folks making do with what they had.

Back in 1869, the Methodists in the Iredell area began worshipping at Hester Schoolhouse. Now, they weren't alone in that building. The Baptists were using it too.

Methodists and Baptists, sharing the same roof, which tells you something about the frontier spirit, or maybe just about the shortage of roofs. The Rev. Peter W.

Gravis served as pastor for that early congregation. Two years later, things shifted. The Methodist congregation moved to Wills Chapel, sitting a half mile east of what is now Iredell, on land that Dr.

J.S. Wills had donated for a church and a campground. A man donating land for both a church and a campground, that's a man who understood that faith and community travel together.

Then, in the late 1870s, the members moved the Wills Chapel again, this time right into town. They weren't shrinking. They were growing, putting down deeper roots in the community of Iredell itself.

And from that point forward, the growing Methodist Church kept right on growing, increasing in membership and in facilities throughout the next hundred years. Members also established programs and groups to support both the congregation and the local community. From a shared schoolhouse in 1869 to a full century of growth, that is a congregation that knew how to stay the course.

What the marker says

In 1869, Methodists in the Iredell area began worshipping at Hester Schoolhouse, a building used by both Baptists and Methodists for services. The Rev. Peter W. Gravis served as pastor. Two years later, the Methodist congregation moved toe Wills Chapel, a half mile east of present Iredell, on land donated by Dr. J.S. Wills for a church and campground. In the late 1870s, members moved the Wills chapel to a site in town. The growing Methodist Church increased in membership and in facilities throughout the next 100 years. Members also established programs and groups to support the congregation and the local community. (2004)