Cheatham Memorial United Methodist Church
Edgewood, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This church grew from services led by a Canton Methodist circuit rider in the late 1870s. The first sanctuary (1 blk. W) was built on land deeded in 1879 by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Early church buildings were shared with the public school. In 1923 a chapel under construction at this site collapsed, but was rebuilt. With completion of new facilities in 1953, the congregational name was changed, recognizing a gift from Ned Cheatham in memory of his wife Dale (Slaughter). A noted church fund raising program, the "Edgewood Plan", was started here by the Rev. C. W. Lokey. (1981)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This congregation grew from services led by a Methodist circuit rider in the late 1870s, worshiping in a building shared with the public school on land deeded by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. A chapel under construction collapsed in 1923 but was rebuilt, and by 1953 new facilities and a memorial gift prompted a new name. The church also launched a noted fundraising effort known as the 'Edgewood Plan.'
Why it matters
Its story links the railroad, the circuit-riding frontier ministry, and shared church-school buildings that knit early Texas towns together.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the 1870s, East Texas was being transformed by the railroad. The Texas and Pacific Railway pushed across the region in that decade, and new towns sprang up along its tracks, often on land the railroad itself controlled and sold or donated.
Out in the country, religion often arrived on horseback. Methodist circuit riders traveled long routes from settlement to settlement, preaching in homes, schoolhouses, and brush arbors wherever a few families could gather. The marker notes that this congregation began with services led by a circuit rider based in Canton, the county seat of Van Zandt County.
In young towns with little money, sharing buildings was simply common sense. A single structure might serve as schoolhouse during the week and church on Sunday, and that is exactly what happened in Edgewood's early years.
People & events
The church's first sanctuary stood about a block west of the present site, on land deeded in 1879 by the Texas and Pacific Railroad. For years the congregation shared its buildings with the public school, so the same rooms held both lessons and worship.
The twentieth century brought both setback and renewal. In 1923 a chapel being built on this site collapsed during construction. Rather than give up, the congregation rebuilt, a determination that says a great deal about the community behind it.
By 1953 new facilities were complete, and the church took a new name. It honored a gift from Ned Cheatham, made in memory of his wife Dale, whose maiden name was Slaughter. The name on the church today is a lasting tribute to her.
The church also has a claim to wider fame. The Rev. C. W. Lokey started a fundraising program here that became known as the Edgewood Plan, carrying this small town's name to congregations well beyond Van Zandt County.
Its place in the American story
This church's story traces several big American threads in one small town. The circuit rider represents the way Methodism spread rapidly across the frontier, carried by preachers who went to the people rather than waiting for the people to come to them.
The railroad's land deed shows how deeply railroads shaped the West and South, deciding where towns would grow and often helping supply the land for churches and schools. And the shared church and school buildings reflect how early communities pooled their resources to build the institutions they needed.
The congregation's name also reflects changes in American Methodism as a whole. Several Methodist bodies united in 1939, and a further merger in 1968 created the United Methodist Church, which is why the word United now appears in the name of so many congregations like this one.
If you visit
Edgewood is a small East Texas town, and this church is part of its everyday life, so visit with respect, especially if services or events are under way.
As you stand here, picture the scene in the late 1870s: new railroad tracks, a young town taking shape, and a traveling preacher arriving to lead worship. The first sanctuary stood about a block to the west, so a short walk lets you imagine how compact the early town was.
The church makes a good stop on a drive through Van Zandt County, where rolling countryside, small towns, and the county seat at Canton offer a sense of how railroad-era communities grew across this part of Texas.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Ned Cheatham
- · C. W. Lokey
Themes & tags
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