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Methodist Church and Cemetery Settlers farming the blackland prairie in this area gathered in the home of Ezekiel Phillips Warren (1828-1903) in 1859 to organize a Methodist congregation. Warren, a native of Tennessee who moved here in 1856, hosted the group for several years. In 1877 two acres of land for a church and cemetery were donated by William Bain McCraw (1841-1878) and others. The Rev. N. A. Keen was then minister for the Dodd City Circuit, which included the church here. McCraw, a native of Kentucky who served in the Confederate Army, was the first to be buried in the cemetery. An additional four acres adjacent to the church grounds were purchased in 1887. In the late 19th century, 10-day-long camp meetings were held on the church grounds in August. John M. Raiden taught school in the church building during the same years. A tornado destroyed the structure in 1918, and meetings were held in the nearby schoolhouse. A new building was erected in 1919, serving as an anchor for the congregation and the community. Membership fell from 170 in 1933 to 38 in 1963, and the church was disbanded in 1966. The building was razed in 1983, but the grounds continue to host an annual community homecoming on the first Sunday in May. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 |
