Tolar Tabernacle

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Tolar Tabernacle, right there in Hood County. Now before air conditioning came along and changed everything, a Texas summer was no joke. You needed shade, you needed open air, and if you were going to gather a whole community together under one roof, you needed something built to last.

That's where the tabernacle came in. Tabernacles like this one served communities all across Texas and the southern United States. They weren't just for revivals and religious meetings, though they handled plenty of those.

Weddings, reunions, homecomings, fairs, picnics — if a community needed a place to come together, the tabernacle was it. And here's the thing: as simple as these structures were in construction, they were a serious step up from what came before them. The brush arbor — that earlier, humbler forerunner — required periodic rebuilding and repair.

The tabernacle? It was built to outlast the occasion. The Tolar Tabernacle went up around 1897, and the churches within the community pooled their resources to cover the cost of construction.

The whole community built it, the whole community owned it. But somebody had to manage the thing, so trustees selected from local church congregations were chosen to run the tabernacle association. In 1904, Emma D. and J.P.

Broughton sold the property where the tabernacle stood to that association — the price: seventy-five dollars. Now take a look at what they built. A rafter system held up by timber posts and sawed lumber cross members.

And over all of it, a hip roof of corrugated metal in ribbed panels, keeping the weather honest. Open air on the sides, solid overhead. Simple, yes — but standing.

Use has slowed down through the years, as it tends to do. But that old tabernacle hasn't gone quiet. Community fish fries still happen there.

And the annual Tolar School homecoming? It's been held at that very site since 1954. Some gathering places, it turns out, just refuse to stop gathering people.

What the marker says

Tabernacles such as this one once served an important function in communities throughout Texas and the southern United States. Prior to the advent of air conditioning, a place to comfortably hold outdoor gatherings was essential during hot summer days. Tabernacles served not just as the locations for revivals and other religious meetings, but were also used for weddings, reunions, homecomings, fairs, picnics and other community events. Although simple in construction, the tabernacle was much more durable than its forerunner, the brush arbor, which required periodic rebuilding or repair. The Tolar Tabernacle was constructed circa 1897, and churches within the community contributed to the cost of the construction. While the community as a whole built and owned the tabernacle, trustees selected from local church congregations were chosen to manage the tabernacle association. In 1904, Emma D. and J.P. Broughton sold the property on which the tabernacle stood to the association for the sum of $75.00. The open air structure consists of a rafter system supported by timber posts and sawed lumber cross members. A hip roof of corrugated metal in ribbed panels shelters the site. Although use of the Tolar Tabernacle has declined through the years, it is still used as the location for community fish fries, and the annual Tolar School homecoming has been held at the site since 1954. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009