DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and I'm takin' it straight from the inscription. Back in 1899, the trustees of Bethel Methodist Church made a move, they bought a few acres of land near a settlement called Rock Hill, with plans to build something new. That church got a name: Smith's Chapel.
Now, you might think that's where the story settles in and gets comfortable. It does not. Because in 1902, the entire settlement of Rock Hill picked up and relocated, one mile north, to a brand new town called Prosper, all to take advantage of the railroad.
The whole settlement moved. And Smith's Chapel and its congregation? They voted to go right along with it.
The church moved too, and when it landed in Prosper, it came away with a new name: Prosper Methodist Episcopal Church. Now the congregation kept growin', keepin' faith through the years, until by 1923 they had simply outgrown that simple frame structure they'd been worshippin' in. So in August of that year, they laid the cornerstone for a new church, right across the street.
Through the efforts and sacrifices of its congregation, Prosper Methodist Church didn't just survive all that movin' and growin' and changin'. It became what it is today, an active, spirit-filled mainstay of the Prosper community. Some things, it turns out, are worth carrying with you wherever you go.
What the marker says
In 1899, trustees of Bethel Methodist Church bought a few acres of land near the settlement of Rock Hill to build a new church, Smith's Chapel. In 1902, the entire settlement relocated one mile north to the new town of Prosper to take advantage of the railroad. Smith's Chapel and its congregation voted to move their church and it was renamed Prosper Methodist Episcopal Church. By 1923, the church had outgrown its simple frame structure and, in August, laid the cornerstone for the present church across the street. Through efforts and sacrifices of its congregation, Prosper Methodist Church continues to be an active and spirit-filled mainstay of the Prosper community. (2012)