Decker United Methodist Church and Community
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First settlers in this area on Decker Creek were Swedish immigrants, who attended church in Austin from 1867 to 1870s. Beginning in 1871, the Rev. C. C. Charnquist of Austin preached in homes. With advent of more settlers, a church was erected and dedicated at Pentecost, 1879. In 1882, a public school was opened. In 1884, the church was enlarged and a parsonage built. In the Pastorate (1901-02) of the Rev. C. O. Freeman, the present sanctuary was erected. The large modern wing was added in 1967. (1973)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Swedish immigrants settling along Decker Creek in the years after the Civil War first rode into Austin for worship, then gathered in one another's homes as a circuit preacher came to them. By Pentecost of 1879 they had raised and dedicated their own church, soon adding a school and parsonage, and by the early 1900s a proper sanctuary. The congregation's steady growth mirrored the quiet permanence of Central Texas's Swedish farming settlements.
Why it matters
The church shows how immigrant faith communities anchored frontier settlement, turning scattered homesteads into lasting towns built around a shared pew and schoolhouse.
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Related people
- · C. C. Charnquist
- · C. O. Freeman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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