DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the Texas Historical Commission put down on the marker for Polk Street United Methodist Church in Potter County. Now settle in, because this is a story about a congregation that just could not stop growing — and frankly, Amarillo couldn't build fast enough to keep up with them. It starts on November 23, 1888, when Reverend Isaac Mills and Reverend Jerome Haralson gathered eight members together and organized a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Eight people. You could fit that meeting in a decent-sized living room. But here's the thing about those eight — they were just getting started.
The congregation took title to Parker's Chapel, the very first church building constructed in Amarillo, built in 1889. And being generous souls, they let several other denominations share that building until those congregations found their footing and moved on into buildings of their own. Less than ten years later, the Methodists looked around at each other and said, well, we're going to need more room.
In 1899, Reverend J.A. Whitehurst rode into Amarillo and deeded a lot on Polk Street to the congregation, and by 1902 a builder named W.J. Beck had raised up a Gothic Revival white-frame church right there on that land.
They called it the White Church, and it was something to see. It served them faithfully for five years — and then they moved it. Picked it right up and walked it across the street so they could put up something even grander: a two-story Romanesque Revival brick church.
In 1908 they renamed themselves Polk Street Methodist Church, as if to announce to the whole Panhandle that they were here, they were permanent, and they were not done. Attendance climbed past two thousand souls, and once again the walls weren't wide enough. So the Reuben Harrison Hunt Company drew up plans for a Gothic Revival brick structure six blocks south down Polk Street.
The new building opened in 1928, with additions following in 1953 and again in 2012. And when you stand in front of it, the architecture tells you everything — pointed arched openings, parapeted gables trimmed with limestone coping, lancets, pinnacles, pedimented buttresses, and stained glass windows worked in with Tudor details throughout. The design was never meant to be just a house of worship.
Theological education classes fill the many classrooms. Community organizations gather in the large meeting halls. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, and earned its Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation in 2013.
From eight people in a borrowed building to a Gothic Revival landmark anchoring Polk Street — that congregation didn't just grow. They built Amarillo right along with it.
What the marker says
The congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was organized on November 23, 1888, by Rev. Isaac Mills, Rev. Jerome Haralson and eight members. The church held title to Parker’s Chapel, the first church building constructed in Amarillo in 1889. The building initially housed several denominations that later organized and moved into their own buildings. The Methodist congregation grew significantly and, less than ten years later, it was clear that a much larger building was needed. In 1899, Rev. J.A. Whitehurst arrived in Amarillo and deeded a lot on Polk Street to the congregation. A Gothic Revival white-frame church was constructed by W.J. Beck in 1902. Known as the “White Church,” it served the congregation for five years before it was moved across the street to make room for construction of a new, two-story Romanesque Revival style brick church. In 1908, the church changed its name to Polk Street Methodist Church. As attendance grew to over 2,000, the church outgrew its third campus. The Reuben Harrison Hunt Company designed this Gothic Revival brick structure on Polk Street six blocks south of the previous church. The new building opened in 1928 with additions in 1953 and 2012. Details include pointed arched openings, parapeted gables with limestone coping, lancets, pinnacles and pedimented buttresses. Built with Tudor details, including stained glass windows, the church is designed to be more than a house of worship. Theological education classes are held in the building’s many classrooms and community organizations utilize the large meeting halls. This beautiful, historic landmark was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2013