St. Paul United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do it justice. Way back in 1872, a congregation came together in Robertson County and called themselves St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, North.

They built themselves a church, a place to gather, to worship, to be a community. And then it burned. Just like that, gone.

Now, that could have scattered a congregation. It has before, and it will again. But not these folks.

The members of St. Paul moved quickly, the marker says, and I believe it. They salvaged what they could from the old sanctuary, gathered up new materials to fill the gaps, and they put a man to work.

His name was Charlie Terrill, noted area carpenter and church member, and by the year 1900 he had completed a new building. Not just a functional box to keep the rain off, either. St.

Paul came back with something to say. The building stands in the Gothic Revival style, with a central tower rising up like a declaration, pointed-arch windows catching the light, and fish-scale shingles on the gables that tell you somebody took real pride in the work. The congregation used it as a place of worship, yes, but also as a center for community activities, and in 1913 they opened the doors wide enough to host the West Texas Annual Methodist Conference right there inside those walls.

A church that rose from its own ashes, built by the hands of one of its own members, and dressed fine enough to welcome a whole regional conference. That's not just a building. That's a statement.

What the marker says

This congregation organized in 1872 as St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, North. After their first church building burned, members of St. Paul moved quickly to replace it. Using salvageable material from the old sanctuary as well as new materials, noted area carpenter and church member Charlie Terrill completed this building in 1900. Since that time it has served as a place of worship for the congregation and as a center for community activities. Members hosted the West Texas Annual Methodist Conference here in 1913. A fine example of the Gothic Revival style, St. Paul church features a central tower, pointed-arch windows and fish-scale shingles on the gables. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001