DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Around 1895, two women named Laura Stewart and Julia Parr Munson established a church out on the Galveston County coast — and right from the start, this congregation was something a little different. It wasn't strictly Methodist, wasn't strictly Presbyterian, wasn't beholden to any one Protestant denomination.
It opened its doors to all comers, and that interdenominational spirit would define it for generations to come. Now, you might think a young congregation like that would have smooth sailing ahead of it. You would be wrong.
The 1900 storm came through, and it destroyed the original church building entirely. That site, where the congregation had gathered and worshipped, became a cemetery — and many of the storm's own victims were buried there. Think about that for a moment.
The place where people had come to find comfort in life became the place they were laid to rest after one of the deadliest disasters this state has ever known. The congregation didn't dissolve. They gathered themselves up and held services at the home of a man named B.
F. Ayers until a new structure could be built. That new building went up adjacent to the cemetery, about 1913 — right next door to all that history and all that grief, which feels just about right for a church that took its community seriously.
By 1927, the congregation had incorporated under a new name: La Marque Union Protestant Church. And then came 1933, when a new sanctuary was completed — and here's where the story takes one of those turns that reminds you real life has more drama in it than most fiction. A woman named Mrs.
Paul Naschke stepped forward and provided the financial assistance that made the sanctuary possible. She had one condition. The church was to be named after her late husband — a well-known local photographer and contributor to church affairs.
The congregation agreed. And so in 1933, the church was renamed Paul's Union Church. It's the kind of legacy a person leaves not by monument or proclamation, but by the quiet agreement of a community that knew what a man had meant to them.
The church kept on giving back. Its facilities were used by La Marque's Garden Club, by the civic club, by various community groups over the years. And led by a devoted clergy, this congregation reached further still — supporting a missionary all the way to South America, aiding victims of the 1947 Texas City disaster, and leading a 1949 anti-gambling crusade across Galveston County.
Started by two women with a vision, rebuilt after a catastrophic storm, renamed in memory of a photographer who gave what he could — Paul's Union Church is the kind of place that just keeps showing up when it's needed most.
What the marker says
Established about 1895 by Laura Stewart and Julia Parr Munson, this church is distinguished by a history of strong community involvement. The congregation has been led by various Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Protestant clergy and has served an interdenominational congregation throughout its history. The site of the original church building, destroyed in the 1900 storm, became a cemetery in which many of the storm's victims were buried. Services were held at B. F. Ayers' home until a new structure was built adjacent to the cemetery about 1913. The church incorporated as La Marque Union Protestant Church in 1927. A new sanctuary was completed in 1933 with the help of Mrs. Paul Naschke. Her financial assistance was extended on the condition the church be named after her late husband, a well-known local photographer and contributor to church affairs. The church was renamed Paul's Union Church in 1933. Various community groups, including La Marque's Garden Club and its civic club, used church facilities. Led by a devoted clergy, the church was able to support a missionary to South America, aid victims of the 1947 Texas City disaster, and lead a 1949 anti-gambling crusade in Galveston County. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995