DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just as it stands. Now, the town of Panhandle, Texas, sitting out there on the wide open plains of Carson County, didn't waste much time getting its spiritual house in order. By the late nineteenth century, it had become what the marker calls an important stronghold for Methodism in this part of Texas, and that's not a word they threw around lightly.
A stronghold. You picture something built to last. And it did.
The county's first congregation was the Northern Methodist, established in 1889, and here's a detail worth savoring: it was attended by residents of all faiths. Not just Methodists. Everybody.
In a place where a church was one of the only gathering spots for miles, you didn't much ask what denomination a man was before you let him sit down. Then, in 1903, a Southern Methodist congregation was organized in Panhandle, and now you've got two churches, both of them serving as community gathering places, both of them doing the work. You might wonder how that story ends, and the marker doesn't leave you guessin' long.
In 1919, the two congregations merged. Northern and Southern, together at last, and from that union came what would eventually be known as the First United Methodist Church of Panhandle. Two traditions, one roof, one town.
The marker closes with a quiet note that carries some weight out here on the plains: Methodists in Panhandle have maintained a strong community involvement. Not past tense. Present.
That stronghold, it seems, is still standing.
What the marker says
The town of Panhandle became an important stronghold for Methodism in this part of Texas in the late 19th century. The county's first congregation was the Northern Methodist, established in 1889. It was attended by residents of all faiths. A Southern Methodist congregation was organized in 1903, and both churches served as community gathering places. The two congregations merged in 1919 and eventually became the First United Methodist Church of Panhandle. Methodists in Panhandle have maintained a strong community involvement.