Fields Chapel Methodist Church and Cemetery
Palestine, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Pioneer settlement began in this vicinity in the late 1830s and early 1940s. This area was the location of several camp revival meetings. The Rev. John W. Fields organized the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1852 and the church was named for him. Trustees elected were W. R. Anglin, J. J. O'Quinn, E. W. Hassell, Joseph Shaver, A. J. Killion, L. D. Fulton, and A. K. W. Jones. Adrian Anglin donated land to this congregation and property deeds were signed on June 23, 1853. The church members built a church that also served as a school. That structure was in use until the late 1940s, when a white brick sanctuary was erected. The cemetery may have been in use prior to the date of the church organization, as there is evidence of more than 100 unmarked graves identified only by iron ore rock, native to the area. The oldest marked grave dating to November 8, 1858, is that of Arminda Florence Langston, infant daughter of Willis B. and Amarillo Anglin Langston. The burials include many pioneer settlers and their descendants and veterans of the Civil War. The community has gathered for homecoming, a social event held annually on these grounds. The church and cemetery continue to serve this area of Anderson County. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Pioneer families settled this corner of Anderson County in the late 1830s and 1840s, gathering for camp revival meetings before Rev. John W. Fields organized a Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1852. Adrian Anglin donated the land in 1853, and the members raised a building that doubled as a school until the late 1940s. Its cemetery holds pioneer settlers, Civil War veterans, and more than a hundred unmarked graves identified only by native iron-ore rock.
Why it matters
Church, school, and burial ground in one, the site shows how faith and learning took root together on the East Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · Rev. John W. Fields
- · Adrian Anglin
Themes & tags
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