Episcopal Church of St. Michael and All Angels
Shamrock, Wheeler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1883, Early W. Spencer and J. John Drew formed the Rocking Chair Ranche Company of London, England, consisting of 235 sections of land in Collingsworth and Wheeler counties; 14,745 head of cattle, 359 ponies; plus wagons and equipment. Later purchased by Colonel W.E. Hughes and renamed the Mill Iron Ranch, much of the land was subdivided and sold as smaller tracts for settlers. Many of these arrivals came from Suffolk, England, the first being George Herbert Aldous in 1887. He first arrived in Mobeetie and lived in a half-dugout along the bank of Elm Creek in northern Collingsworth County. His sister, Constance Fanny Aldous (1860-1944), soon arrived with her Book of Common Prayer and a desire to establish an Anglican church in the area. In 1898, Constance married fellow English immigrant Albert Manby (1874-1941) in a civil ceremony. When Bishop A.C. Garrett of the Diocese of Dallas visited, he married them again in a religious ceremony. As sporadic Episcopal services and sacraments continued for years, Constance solicited relatives and friends for funds to build a church, recording contributions in pounds, shillings and pence. She led 13 Episcopalians to petition the diocese for acceptance as a mission. Work on a building in Shamrock began in April 1909, and on July 4, 1909, Bishop Garrett consecrated St. Michael and All Angels as a mission church. Membership remained small but faithful through many years, and St. Michael's has never had a resident priest. Members have supported area congregations of other faiths and connected with their community through charity and outreach. The church's legacy is an example of the English heritage of the region imprinting upon the area's culture and faith. (2021)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the vast Rocking Chair Ranche was subdivided in the 1880s, English settlers from Suffolk began arriving in the Texas Panhandle, among them Constance Fanny Aldous, who came with her Book of Common Prayer and a determination to plant an Anglican church. Over years of sporadic services she solicited relatives back home for funds — recorded in pounds, shillings, and pence — until Bishop Garrett consecrated St. Michael and All Angels as a mission in July 1909. Small and never served by a resident priest, the congregation endured on faith and neighborly outreach.
Why it matters
This little church is a marker of the English immigrant strand woven into the settlement of the American West, a reminder that the frontier was peopled from many shores.
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Related people
- · Constance Fanny Aldous
- · Albert Manby
Themes & tags
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