HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Ector Methodist Church

Ector, Fannin County, Texas

Marker Inscription

The community of Ector was established in 1874 on the route of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. The Ravenna Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was created in 1885, and the Ector congregation, which met in a nearby school, was served by the Rev. R. R. Nelson. A frame church with twin steeples was built in 1888. It was razed in 1960, and an educational building was erected in 1963. The congregation was renamed Ector United Methodist Church in 1968, and a new sanctuary was built in 1976. This church has served its community for over one hundred years. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

The town of Ector took root in 1874 along the Texas & Pacific Railroad, and by 1885 a Methodist congregation was meeting in a nearby school under the Rev. R. R. Nelson. A frame church with twin steeples rose in 1888 and served until it was razed in 1960, replaced by later buildings and a new 1976 sanctuary. The congregation has ministered to the community for well over a century.

Why it matters

Ector's church grew alongside a railroad town, showing how the rails planted both commerce and community across the North Texas prairie.

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Related people

  • · R. R. Nelson

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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