DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. On October 30, 1876, a group of local Episcopalians gathered at the Marquand Hotel with a purpose. They were going to organize a congregation.
Not a small thing, that kind of meeting. You've got to imagine the room, the handshakes, the sense that something was being set in motion. And sure enough, by April 2, 1877, the first parish meeting of St.
James Episcopal Church was held. That congregation was up and running. Now here's a detail worth savoring.
When it came time to build that first church, it wasn't just Episcopalians who reached into their pockets. Citizens of all faiths contributed funds. And the land itself?
Donated by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The community, it seems, wanted this church to stand. And stand it did.
A second edifice went up in 1893 and 1894. Then, as congregations do when they're alive and growin', it was altered and enlarged in 1910, and again in 1926. But St.
James wasn't content to tend its own garden. This parish established or supported at least seven other churches in the surrounding area. Seven.
And on top of that, it pioneered in aid to the elderly and other community services, long before such things were fashionable. Some churches keep to themselves. St.
James, well, it kept building.
What the marker says
Local Episcopalians met on Oct. 30, 1876, at the Marquand Hotel to organize this congregation. The first parish meeting was held April 2, 1877. Citizens of all faiths contributed funds for the first church building, erected on property donated by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. A second edifice, built in 1893-94, was altered and enlarged in 1910 and 1926. St. James has established or supported at least seven other churches in this area. This parish pioneered in aid to the elderly and other community services. (1977) Incise on back: Sponsored by The Vestry; Richard L. Hartshorn and Charles Terry, Wardens; Richard C. Allen, Rector; Bowie County Historical Commission