San Gabriel Christian Church

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm drawing straight from the words carved into the official marker, so let the record show where this story comes from. Now, if you want to talk about a piece of Texas that seems almost too good to be true, you start with the land itself. Streams running every which way, soil so fertile it practically dares you to put down roots.

People have always known it. And long before any church house ever went up in Milam County, early European institutions were already staking their claim, three Spanish missions from the 1700s and a presidio, all of them planted in country that had already been inhabited for a good long while. Then came the next century, and the changes started rolling in.

In 1835, the Mexican government granted a woman named Abigail McLennan Fokes a league of land. A whole league. And tucked inside that grant were three future sites of what would eventually become the San Gabriel Christian Church.

Now, the church didn't spring up overnight. It began, best anyone can tell, around the 1840s. The folks who gathered weren't meeting in any grand building.

They called themselves Campbellites, and they worshiped in private homes, which, when you think about it, is about as honest a start as a congregation can have. The first documented baptism came in 1854, when a woman named Martha Kolb stepped forward. That marker in the record mattered, because over the next few years, more settlers followed, converting and joining through baptism, one by one.

By 1859, the San Gabriel Christian Church formally organized. They had a name now. They had a community.

What they still needed was a building. That came in 1884, when the church built its first sanctuary on land donated by J.W. Hamblen.

They called it the Old White Church, and it sat on a hill between Pecan Creek and the San Gabriel River. A fine position, you might think. Until the river started making its opinion known.

Flooding, again and again. The building survived a fire, and many of the records survived too, which is something close to a miracle in itself. But the water kept coming, and eventually the congregation accepted the obvious and moved in 1901 to a new sanctuary, this one across the river, on land donated by Henry F. and Lucy Baird.

New building, new land, fresh start. Except Texas wasn't finished with them yet. Around 1921, winds came through and severely damaged that second building.

The congregation salvaged what lumber they could, set it aside for reuse, and were probably feeling cautiously hopeful about the whole situation. Then, in September of that same year, heavy flooding came through and washed that salvaged lumber clean away. You can almost hear the silence after that.

But here's the thing about a congregation that's already outlasted fire and flood and storm. They build again. In 1924, the members constructed a third house of worship at this very site, and that's where they remain today.

Over the years, the congregation has been served by many leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination, some of them active in Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. They've run programs, held worship, and given back through mission work and other services. And many of the members sitting in those pews today are descendants of the original families, the ones who first came together more than a hundred and fifty years ago, in private homes, on fertile ground, beside a river that tested them more than once.

Some roots, it turns out, go deep enough that not even the San Gabriel can wash them out.

What the marker says

Noted for its many streams and fertile soil, this area of Texas has long been inhabited. Early European institutions included three 18th-century Spanish missions, as well as a presidio. The following century brought many changes. In 1835, the Mexican government granted Abigail McLennan Fokes a league of land that included three future sites of what would become the San Gabriel Christian Church, which began circa the 1840s. The group, known as "Campbellites," first worshiped in private homes. In 1854, Martha Kolb was the church's first documented baptism, and during the next few years many more settlers converted and joined through baptism. In 1859, the San Gabriel Christian Church formally organized. In 1884, the church built its first sanctuary on land donated by J.W. Hamblen. Known as the Old White Church, it sat on a hill between Pecan Creek and the San Gabriel River. The building and many records survived a fire, but because of frequent flooding the congregation moved in 1901 to a new sanctuary across the river on land donated by Henry F. and Lucy Baird. Weather again affected the congregation when winds severely damaged the building around 1921; in September of that year, heavy flooding washed away the salvaged lumber intended for reuse. In 1924, members constructed a third house of worship at this site, where they remain today. Over the years, the congregation has been served by many leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination, including some active in Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. In addition to programs and worship, the congregation has given to its community through mission work and other services. Many members are descendants of the original families, who came together more than 150 years ago in worship. (2005)