DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Westwood United Methodist Church in Anderson County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a single acre of land and ends up somewhere nobody in 1883 could quite have predicted. In November of that year, a woman named Harriet McClanahan Holmes donated one acre of land to Anderson County.
At the same time, a man named William M. Holmes donated the funds to build the Holmes Community School. And right there in that schoolhouse, a young woman named Minnie Lee Holmes stepped in as the very first teacher.
Now, that's already three Holmeses before the coffee gets cold — and the story's just gettin' started. Also that same year, area residents gathered in that same schoolhouse and organized the Holmes Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Reverend Daniel C.
Neel served as the congregation's pastor. One schoolhouse, one acre, one community — and they packed a whole lot of life into it. But communities have a way of outgrowin' their britches.
By 1899, the congregation had done exactly that, and they built themselves a proper sanctuary. Church services at that point were held once a month by the Reverend A. Methvin.
That second house of worship sat on Holmes Road, and the congregation called it home all the way until 1948. Then something shifted. The Palestine area — and this congregation along with it — began to grow, pushed forward by new industry and a post-war population increase.
They sold the Holmes Road property. And while they waited on a new, larger sanctuary to be completed, they worshiped in a large tent. Now picture that — a congregation that started in a schoolhouse, moved to a sanctuary, and now gathered under canvas, holding on to something bigger than the building.
That new sanctuary was completed in 1950. But even that couldn't hold them forever. A decade later, in the 1960s, new buildings were added as the congregation outgrew its facilities once again.
And somewhere in those same years, the area school districts consolidated into the Westwood Independent School District. The community that had once been known for Holmes Chapel School now went by a new name — Westwood. And so the church, which had carried the name of that old rural schoolhouse all those years, changed its name too.
Holmes Chapel Methodist Church became the Westwood United Methodist Church, reflecting where the community had arrived. More than a hundred years of growin', adapting, and servin'. And across the church grounds today, members have placed memorials to commemorate the families who nourished that congregation across the generations — a quiet, lasting echo of the commitment made by the founding members back in the 1880s, when one acre of land and a schoolhouse were enough to start something that just wouldn't stop.
What the marker says
Westwood United Methodist Church (Holmes Chapel Methodist Church) In November 1883, Harriet Mcclanahan Holmes donated one acre of land to Anderson County and William M. Holmes donated funds for the Holmes Community School, where Minnie Lee Holmes served as the first teacher. In the schoolhouse that year, area residents organized the Holmes Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Rev. Daniel C. Neel served as the congregation's p. The church outgrew the schoolhouse and built a sanctuary in 1899. At that time, church services were held once a month by the Rev. A. Methvin. The congregation used its second house of worship, located on Holmes Road, until 1948. The church, like the Palestine area, experienced growth due to new industry and a post-war population increase. After selling the Holmes Road property, the congregation worshiped in a large tent while waiting for a new, larger sanctuary, which was completed in 1950. The congregation again outgrew its facilities and added new buildings a decade later. In the 1960s, area school districts consolidated into the Westwood Independent School District. The church, which originally bore the name of the once rural Holmes Chapel School, later changed its name to reflect its place in the community, which had become known as Westwood following school consolidation. During its more than 100 years as a congregation, the Westwood United Methodist Church (Holmes Chapel Methodist Church) has continued to grow, serving its community through its many programs. To commemorate the contributions of families that nourished the growth of the congregation, members over the years have placed memorials around church grounds, continuing the commitment to community and worship made by the founding members in the 1880s. (2003)