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Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Winnsboro

Winnsboro, Wood County, Texas

Marker Inscription

The Rev. Kimberly served as the first pastor of the Central Christian Church of Winnsboro, organized in 1893 with twenty charter members. The following year the congregation had this sanctuary constructed. The original steeples were destroyed by a tornado in 1895 and not replaced. Remodeled in 1914, the building reflects influences of the prairie and classical revival styles. The church membership has included many prominent area leaders. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Organized in 1893 with twenty charter members, the Central Christian Church of Winnsboro built this sanctuary the following year as the Disciples of Christ movement spread across rural East Texas. A tornado toppled its original steeples in 1895, and a 1914 remodeling gave the building the prairie and classical revival lines it carries today. Its rolls long included many of the area's civic leaders.

Why it matters

Small-town congregations like this one anchored the social and civic life of the post-frontier South, and its evolving architecture records how a modest 1890s church kept step with changing American tastes.

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Related people

  • · Rev. Kimberly

Themes & tags

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