First Christian Church of Plano
Plano, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Kentucky natives William and Ruth Forman moved to Texas in 1846, and acquired land that included the future location of Plano. The Forman's daughter Letitia married George Barnett in 1853. The Barnetts bought land northwest of Plano along Spring Creek. The First Christian Church was established in the mid-1850s on the Barnett farm. A small frame building served as both a school and church, with traveling ministers serving the church. In 1873, another church building was erected on the corner of East 16th Street and Avenue G in Plano. The structure consisted of one large room with a center aisle, coal oil lamps, and a single table serving as both a pulpit and communion table. During the fifty-year period from 1899-1949 called the "Golden Age" by the members, the church experienced significant growth and a larger structure was built at East 15th Street on the corner of Avenue H. In later years another sanctuary was needed to accommodate continued growth. An active part of the community since its beginnings, the congregation maintains an outreach program and administers scholarships that benefit the citizens of the area and beyond. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The First Christian Church of Plano grew from land settled by Kentucky natives William and Ruth Forman, who came to Texas in 1846 and whose family ties led to a congregation founded on the Barnett farm in the mid-1850s. A small frame building first served as both school and church, lit by coal oil lamps with a single table for pulpit and communion, before larger sanctuaries rose in town over the following decades. Through what members called its 1899–1949 "Golden Age" of growth, the church became a lasting fixture of community life in Plano.
Why it matters
The congregation's story shows how frontier churches doubled as schools and social anchors, growing alongside the North Texas towns they helped settle.
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Related people
- · William Forman
- · Ruth Forman
- · George Barnett
- · Letitia Barnett
Themes & tags
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