First Christian Church of Anna
Anna, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Liberty Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), one of the earliest Christian churches in Texas, was founded in northern Collin County by pioneer settlers Collin McKinney and J.B. Wilmeth in 1846. In 1854 a Christian seminary was established by members of the Liberty congregation about two miles northwest of here in the newly established community of Mantua. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended its track in a North-South route several miles east of Mantua in 1872. Mantua soon declined in favor of the new railroad towns of Van Alstyne (Grayson County) and Anna which developed here in the early 1880s. According to local tradition Mantua's Christian congregation split between the two new communities. Former Mantua church members and early Anna resident Rebecca Sherley helped organize the First Christian Church of Anna in 1882. The Rev. Alf Douglas served as first pastor. Services were held in the Sherley home until it burned in 1886. About 1890 the first sanctuary was built here at the site of the former Sherley home. Major additions to the rear of the sanctuary were completed in 1949. First Christian continues to serve the community with spiritual guidance and various educational programs. (1994)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This congregation's roots reach to Liberty Christian Church, founded in 1846 by pioneer Collin County settlers Collin McKinney and J. B. Wilmeth and counted among the earliest Christian churches in Texas. When the Houston and Texas Central Railroad bypassed the community of Mantua in 1872, the town declined and its congregation split toward the new rail towns of Van Alstyne and Anna. Former Mantua members helped organize First Christian Church of Anna in 1882, worshipping in the Sherley home until it burned, then building a sanctuary here around 1890.
Why it matters
The church's migration from Mantua to Anna is a vivid case of how the coming of the railroad redrew the map of frontier Texas, emptying older settlements into new towns along the tracks.
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Related people
- · Collin McKinney
- · J. B. Wilmeth
- · Rebecca Sherley
Themes & tags
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