DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at Saint John's Episcopal Church has to say — and friend, this one's got more chapters than you'd expect from a single congregation on a single street in Columbus, Texas. Settle in. The earliest Episcopal worship service known to have been held in Columbus goes back to 1848.
Just think on that a moment. Eighteen forty-eight. And at that time, services weren't a regular Sunday affair — clergy came through traveling, and when one passed by, folks gathered.
That was the best they could do, and apparently, for a while, it was enough. Then in 1855, the Reverend Hannibal Pratt came to Columbus. Now that is a name that announces itself — Hannibal Pratt — and he arrived with purpose.
Saint John's Parish was officially organized, admitted to the Diocese of Texas, and the date stamped on that admission is April 14, 1856. Official. Done.
A congregation with a name and a home in the larger church. Except — and here's where it gets interesting — they didn't actually have a home. Not a building, anyway.
Saint John's parishioners worshipped wherever they could find a door open to them. They gathered in the County Courthouse. They worshipped inside the Methodist church.
And one of their favored spots was the large, castle-like home of a man named Robert Robson. A castle-like home. In Columbus, Texas.
I am not embellishing that — the marker says castle-like, and I believe it. A lot on Milam Street was purchased in 1871, and by 1874 an actual church building had gone up. You'd think that would be the end of the wandering.
But that building was later sold to the Church of Christ. So the congregation pressed on. Property at the current site came together in 1906, and two names deserve to be spoken clearly here: Mrs.
Fannie Darden, whose will provided the proceeds that helped purchase it, and the Ladies Guild, who raised money alongside that bequest to make it happen. A house on the property served first as a rectory, then as a parish house — useful right to the end. And then, the brick church.
Built with funds willed to the congregation by Mrs. Nannie Thatcher Andrus, it was consecrated in 1942 by Bishop Clinton S. Quin.
Two women's legacies, written into their wills, shaped what Saint John's became. That's worth sitting with. The marker closes with this: the charter members of Saint John's included citizens of the Republic of Texas, veterans of the Texas Revolution, local civic leaders, and state officials.
People who had lived through the making of Texas itself sat in those early pews — whenever and wherever those pews happened to be. From a traveling preacher's occasional visit in 1848 to consecrated brick walls in 1942 — that's not a straight line, but it's one steady congregation.
What the marker says
The earliest Episcopal worship service known to have been held in Columbus occurred in 1848. At that time services were held infrequently, conducted by clergy traveling through the area. The Rev. Hannibal Pratt came to Columbus in 1855, and Saint John's Parish was officially organized and admitted to the Diocese of Texas on April 14, 1856. Worship services for Saint John's parishioners were held in a variety of locations, including the large castle-like home of Robert Robson, the County Courthouse, and the Methodist church. A lot on Milam Street was purchased in 1871 and a church building was constructed by 1874. It was later sold to the Church of Christ. Property at this site was purchased in 1906 with proceeds from the will of Mrs. Fannie Darden and money raised by the Ladies Guild. A house located here was used first as a rectory and later as a parish house. A new brick church, built with funds willed to the congregation by Mrs. Nannie Thatcher Andrus, was consecrated in 1942 by Bishop Clinton S. Quin. Charter members of Saint John's included citizens of the Republic of Texas, veterans of the Texas Revolution, local civic leaders, and state officials.