Chatfield United Methodist Church
Chatfield, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1846, the Rev. J. E. Ferguson, whose son was to be a governor of Texas, preached to Methodists in this area. Robert Hodge, who founded Chatfield, built a brush arbor and let camp meetings be held at his spring. In 1858 he donated a site for a lodge hall, where all faiths worshipped for years. In 1886, Mr. and Mrs. Nail McMullan gave the Methodists a site for a church of their own. Peak membership came in 1896 under the Rev. George Clark. The original building was destroyed by a storm in 1937; the present one was completed in 1938. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Methodism took root in this Navarro County community in 1846, when the Rev. J. E. Ferguson — whose son would one day govern Texas — preached to local believers. Chatfield's founder Robert Hodge built a brush arbor for camp meetings at his spring and later donated a lodge hall where worshippers of every faith gathered for years. Not until 1886 did the Methodists receive their own site; the congregation peaked in 1896, and after a storm destroyed the original building in 1937, the present church rose the following year.
Why it matters
The slow growth from brush-arbor camp meetings to a permanent sanctuary mirrors how frontier faith communities matured alongside the towns they helped anchor.
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Related people
- · J. E. Ferguson
- · Robert Hodge
- · George Clark
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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