College Street Church of Christ
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1880, A. J. Bush arrived in this community, which was then called Junction City. Here he led 17 men and women in forming a Church of Christ. Two years later, after initially holding services in the county courthouse, members of the growing church built their first sanctuary. In 1883, John S. Durst began his 42-year tenure as the church's minister. On this site in 1890, members constructed a new building, which was replaced by the current building in 1929. For more than a century, the Church of Christ has participated in numerous service projects and remains an integral part of Junction's religious community. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1880, as the Hill Country town of Junction City took shape, A.J. Bush led seventeen men and women in forming a Church of Christ, meeting first in the county courthouse. Members raised their first sanctuary in 1882, and in 1883 John S. Durst began a 42-year ministry that spanned the congregation's growth. Successive buildings rose on this site in 1890 and 1929 as the church became a fixture of frontier Junction's religious life.
Why it matters
The congregation reflects how churches took root as founding institutions in the newly settled towns of late nineteenth-century West Texas.
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Related people
- · A.J. Bush
- · John S. Durst
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Baptist Church of Junction
Junction, TX
In 1880, on the raw Texas Hill Country frontier, local residents gathered at the Kimble County courthouse to organize a Baptist church, guided by a circuit-riding pastor from nearby Menard. After the courthouse burned, the town shared a community building until the Baptists raised their own frame sanctuary here in 1887 — succeeded by a Spanish-style building in 1929 and a brick one in 1959. Through it all the congregation anchored Junction with worship, music, and mission work.
First United Methodist Church of Junction
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Site of First Livery Stable
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