Emory United Methodist Church
Emory, Rains County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Dating back to 1867 originally in Springville in Wood County, Emory United Methodist Church has served its community for 150 years. The church’s namesake was established when in 1870, Rains County was formed and the City of Springville changed its name to Emory in honor of the county founder Emory Rains. The congregation has been devoted to building and maintaining a physical place of worship throughout the years. During the first several years of existence, the congregation met in the old Masonic hall, located on the town square, which also served as the first school in Emory, then called Springville. In 1889, Rev. J.W. Beckham led the congregation to build a single-room church which was located on the northeast corner of the intersection of present-day Wood and North Streets in Emory. In 1894, a tornado destroyed the church and all its contents, including a new organ. The only item saved from the structure was the bell, which is still in use and hangs in the present-day church belfry. A new church was built on the same site the following year but several years later was moved to the present site. After a storm damaged the church’s roof in 1944, church members decided to raise money to build a new brick structure which was successfully completed and dedicated debt-free on September 16, 1945. In honor of some of the founders and sustainers of the church and church school, beautiful stained glass windows were purchased from a builder in Hunt County. The windows were inscribed with the names of Uncle Tom and Aunt Fannie Weatherly, spiritual parents to the children of the church; Captain Tom Cain, and the Ballew, Berzette, Edwards, Henslee, Jenkis, Rodes and Woosley families. The Gethsemane window was dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Shaw. Due to the congregation’s hard work and dedication, Emory UMC continues to provide care and hope for the community. (2017)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Methodist congregation traces its roots to 1867 in the community then called Springville, which was renamed Emory in 1870 when Rains County was formed. Early worshippers met in a Masonic hall that also housed the town's first school. A frame church built in 1889 was destroyed by a tornado in 1894 — only its bell survived, and it still rings in the present belfry — and successive buildings carried the congregation through the twentieth century.
Why it matters
The story of a frontier congregation building, losing, and rebuilding its church mirrors the resilience of countless small communities that anchored their identity in shared worship.
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Related people
- · Emory Rains
- · J.W. Beckham
Themes & tags
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