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Bishop Alexander C. Garrett of Dallas visited Weatherford in June 1875. He organized a mission church here the following February with five communicants. The congregation called the Rev. Edwin Wickens, then serving at a mission at Fort Worth, to preach the fourth Sunday of each month as their first priest in charge. A small stone church was completed in 1879 on land that later became the site of the Weatherford City Hall. The early years proved to be financially challenging for All Saints' Episcopal Church, and by 1921 the bishop had sold the church property. The congregation reorganized, and new property on this site was given by parishioner Maggie Coleman Foat in memory of her daughter. Services were held in the homes of members until a new building was constructed in 1923 for $10,424.00. A rectory was built in the same year for the new priest, The Rev. E. S. Barlow. Upon her death in 1943, Maggie Coleman Foat left stock in the First National Bank of Dallas to be used for the salary of a full-time priest. Noted portrait painter Douglas Chandor (1897-1953) served on the vestry from 1945 to 1947. A parish hall was placed on the premises in 1947, and in 1964 the church and rectory were joined to form an educational building. In 1996 the church celebrated 120 years of rich history and heritage. All Saints' Episcopal Church of Weatherford continues to uphold the traditions of its founders. (1998) |
