St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight out of Rockdale, Milam County. Back in 1875, if you wanted Episcopal services in Rockdale, you found yourself walking into a store. Not a church, mind you.

A store. And you weren't alone in there, either, because other faiths were worshiping in that same space. Whoever owned the place must have had a generous spirit, or at least a good head for community relations.

Now, that arrangement held for a spell, but on December 19, 1876, Bishop Alexander Gregg came through and organized St. Thomas Mission, and things started moving in a more permanent direction. Three years later, in 1879, the congregation bought the very site where the church stands today, and the funds to do it came from the Solon Joynes family.

That's the kind of generosity that gets your name remembered. Then in 1880, they built a frame chapel on that ground. Here's the part worth savoring: that original frame chapel was not torn down when the church grew.

It was preserved, folded right into the present building, serving as the nave, the chancel, and the sanctuary. The old bones are still in there. Some time later, a rector named the Reverend Joseph Carden served the parish, and during his time, from 1920 to 1924, he did something that set him apart.

He made the altar himself, and he adorned it with original carvings, his own hands shaping the wood. The parish kept growing, and in 1952 the church was enlarged and a parish hall was added to keep up with the community that had gathered around it. So what started in a store in 1875 became something built to last, and the proof is right there in those walls, where the very first chapel is still holding everything up.

What the marker says

Earliest Episcopal services in Rockdale were held in 1875 in a store, where other faiths also worshiped. On Dec. 19, 1876, Bishop Alexander Gregg organized St. Thomas Mission, and in 1879 this site was bought with funds given by the Solon Joynes family. A frame chapel-- preserved as nave, chancel, and sanctuary in the present edifice-- was built in 1880. The Rev. Joseph Carden, 1920-24 rector, made and adorned the altar with original carvings. To accommodate the growing parish, the church was enlarged and a parish hall added in 1952.