Sharp Presbyterian Church

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Milam County, there's a little church with a longer memory than most folks give it credit for. The story starts back in 1872, when a congregation called the Mt.

Herman Cumberland Presbyterian Church first put down roots. Now that's a name with some weight to it, and the community that gathered under it had staying power. They held together for two decades.

But 1893 came along, and that congregation divided, splitting into two separate flocks, the Davilla congregation and the Leachville congregation. Churches, like rivers, sometimes find they need to run in different channels. Then 1902 rolls around, and something interesting happens.

The Leachville church gets a new name, Sharp. And in that very same year, the same year it took on that new identity, this building went up. Think about that for a moment.

The name changed and the walls rose in the same breath of time. What you'd see standing in front of it today is a vernacular church building, which is a fancy way of saying it's rooted in the plain traditions of its place and time, but it's got some flair. It shows influences of the Italianate style of architecture.

There's a truncated tower reaching up without quite finishing the thought. Window hoods lending a little dignity to the facade. Horizontal milled siding running the length of the walls.

A modest building, sure, but one that's been standing since 1902, carrying a history that reaches all the way back to 1872. Some things in Texas are newer than they look. This church is older.

What the marker says

This church traces its history to 1872, when the Mt. Herman Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded. It was divided into the Davilla and Leachville congregations in 1893. The Leachville church was renamed Sharp in 1902, the same year this structure was built. The vernacular church building, exhibiting influences of the Italianate style of architecture, features a truncated tower, window hoods, and horizontal milled siding. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1988