Springtown Tabernacle on the Square

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker on Springtown Square tells it, and I'm passing it right along to you. Now, some places earn their keep over time, real quiet-like, and some places make themselves indispensable from the very start. Springtown's tabernacle on the square?

Both. Let me walk you through it. The story starts back in 1884, with a building, the College Hill Institute.

That structure eventually got picked up and moved, the way Texans have always been willing to haul something good to a better spot, and by 1906 it was sitting on what would become Springtown Square. The first floor housed city hall, the second floor went to the Odd Fellows lodge, and out on the east end, someone had the good sense to throw up an open-sided wooden tabernacle. And just like that, that tabernacle became the center of community life.

Then comes June 1934. A monument was erected on the square in honor of the founders of the Male and Female Institute and the College Hill Institute. The square got a new name to mark the occasion: Monument Park.

Good name. A place that remembers where it came from. Right around that same time, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, rolled up their sleeves and set to work on something more permanent.

A new tabernacle, and a fence to go with it. Now, that fence had a job to do, keeping horses, wagons, and buggies at a respectful distance from the tabernacle, and they built it to last. They pulled sandstone right out of the Brazos River bottoms, chiseled and shaped into blocks that ranged anywhere from one pound up to fifty pounds, set with mortar made of lime, cement, and sand.

That is not a fence built by people who expected to tear it down anytime soon. And the tabernacle's wood beams, here is a detail worth savoring, they are stylized from milled lumber, but an adz was taken to that milled lumber to give it a rough-hewn look. Somebody cared enough to make the new look old, to give the place the feel of something earned.

Monuments devoted to those who lost their lives in wars, going as far back as World War Two, were placed on the grounds in time. The town of Springtown has changed through the years, no getting around that, but the tabernacle has stayed right where it is, the mainstay of the community. They call it a treasured jewel in the center of Springtown, and you know what, after all it has held, all the celebrations and the grief and the ordinary Tuesdays in between, that is not a boast.

That is just the truth.

What the marker says

Springtown Square is home of the historic 1930s tabernacle, which has become a gathering place for Springtown and surrounding residents. Initially in 1906, the square developed by moving an 1884 College Hill Institute building to the site to house city hall on its first floor and the Odd Fellows lodge on the second. An open-sided wooden tabernacle was constructed on the east end of the building and became the center of community life. In June 1934, a monument was erected in honor of the founders of the Male and Female Institute and College Hill Institute. The square was then given the name Monument Park. Soon after, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began work on a new tabernacle and fence. The stone and wood fence was built to keep horses, wagons and buggies at a distance from the tabernacle. Sandstone from the Brazos River bottoms was chiseled and shaped into blocks that weighed from one to 50 pounds. The blocks were set with mortar made of lime, cement and sand. The tabernacle's wood beams are stylized from milled lumber. An adz was used to give the milled lumber a rough-hewn look. Much care was taken to construct the tabernacle. Thus, it has become a special place to host all types of community celebrations. The Tabernacle Square and grounds have been the constant gathering place for the community, a place to meet for all ages and activities. Monuments devoted to those who lost their lives in wars as early as WWII were placed on the grounds. The town has changed through the years; however, the tabernacle remains the mainstay to the community, a treasured jewel in the center of Springtown. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2017