Jump to content

First Methodist Church (Marshall, Texas)

Add links
Coordinates: 32°37′33″N 94°21′59″W / 32.62583°N 94.36639°W / 32.62583; -94.36639
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church in 2016
First Methodist Church is located in Texas
First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church is located in the United States
First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church
Location300 E. Houston St.,
Marshall, Texas
Coordinates32°37′33″N 94°21′59″W / 32.62583°N 94.36639°W / 32.62583; -94.36639
Arealess than one acre
Built1860 (1860)
Built byAlexander Pope, Billington Smalley
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.80004133[1]
RTHL No.10157
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 16, 1980
Designated RTHL1965

First Methodist Church (First United Methodist Church; Methodist Episcopal Church of South Marshall) is a ruined historic Methodist church at 300 E. Houston Street in Marshall, Texas. It has also been known as First United Methodist Church and as Methodist Episcopal Church of South Marshall. It is a stuccoed brick Greek Revival-style church with a portico having four monumental square columns; such architecture is rare in Texas.[2] It was added to the National Register in 1980.[1] A fire on the morning of December 9, 2024 destroyed most of the structure and left the building in ruins.

It was documented in 1936 by the Historic American Buildings Survey.[3] The portico was originally topped by a belfry but that was replaced in 1949 by a large octagonal cupola. It was built during 1860 to 1861, probably by slave labor. Its builders included mason Alexander Pope and carpenter Billingon Smalley. It was expanded in 1949 and in 1958.[2]

Enoch Mather Marvin served at First Methodist and was elevated to Bishop of Trans-Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South during his tenure in Marshall.[4] Marvin Methodist Episcopal Church, South in Tyler is named after him.

During the American Civil War, Confederate supplies were stored in the basement and it was the site of organization for the war effort. It was the site of the first conference, in 1862, of the Trans-Mississippi states convened by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Texas Governor Lubbock, Missouri Governor Jackson, and representatives of Arkansas and Louisiana participated.[2]

  • HABS photo of the North face of First Methodist in 1936.
    HABS photo of the North face of First Methodist in 1936.
  • HABS photo of the West face of First Methodist in 1936.
    HABS photo of the West face of First Methodist in 1936.
  • North face of First Methodist Church in 2005.
    North face of First Methodist Church in 2005.
  • North and west faces of First Methodist Church in 2015.
    North and west faces of First Methodist Church in 2015.
  • First Methodist burns for the eleventh hour as fire crews from Marshall and Longview fight it as an excavator is brought in to demolish the western wall.
    First Methodist burns for the eleventh hour as fire crews from Marshall and Longview fight it as an excavator is brought in to demolish the western wall.
  • First Methodist stands in ruins on the afternoon of December 10, 2024 after the fire.
    First Methodist stands in ruins on the afternoon of December 10, 2024 after the fire.


See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Wm. Keeton Turner and Lissa Anderson (April 22, 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: First Methodist Church". National Archives. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) (accessible by searching within National Archives Catalog Archived January 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine)
  3. ^ "First Methodist Church South, 300 East Houston Street, Marshall, Harrison County, TX". Historic American Buildings Survey.
  4. ^ "Marvin, Enoch Mather (1823–1877), Handbook of Texas". Texas State Historical Association.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to First Methodist Church (Marshall, Texas).


Stub icon

This article about a property in Texas on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in Texas is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Methodist_Church_(Marshall,_Texas)&oldid=1262719418"