First Christian Church
Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation traces its origin to a small group of Christians gathered together by the Rev. William H. Wright in the young town of Arlington in 1882. In its first century it has involved into one of Arlington's leading religious institutions whose Bible lectures, educational services, and social and musical ministries reach into the local community and beyond. The Rev. Mr. Wright formally organized First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1890. The congregation erected its first sanctuary in 1895-96 on two lots at the corner of Mesquite and South Streets purchased by church trustees in 1892. Three church members who helped found Arlington College (The University of Texas at Arlington) in 1895 began a close association with the University which continues today. First Christian built a new church building at the corner of Abram and Mesquite in 1919 and called their first full-time pastor in 1948. The congregation moved to a new brick sanctuary here in 1957. First Christian helped establish Rush Creek Christian Church in 1977 and Saint Andrew Christian Church in 1988. The congregation continues to serve the community with a variety of social programs, including Mother's Day Out, pastoral counseling, and televised ministries. (1993)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
First Christian Church grew from a small band of believers gathered by the Rev. William H. Wright in young Arlington in 1882, formally organized as a Disciples of Christ congregation in 1890. Three of its members helped found Arlington College in 1895—the institution that became the University of Texas at Arlington—beginning a bond with the school that endures today. Over its first century the church built successively larger sanctuaries and grew into one of the city's leading institutions.
Why it matters
The congregation's role in founding Arlington College ties it directly to the origins of a major Texas university and the educational growth of the region.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Arlington was a young town in 1882. It had grown up along the Texas and Pacific Railway between Dallas and Fort Worth, part of the railroad-driven town-building that reshaped North Texas in the 1870s and 1880s. New towns like this one needed the basic institutions that turn a stop on the tracks into a community, and churches were often among the first.
The church that grew here belongs to the Disciples of Christ, a denomination born in the American Restoration Movement of the early nineteenth century. That movement wanted to return to what its followers saw as the simple faith of the early church, and it spread widely across the American frontier, including Texas.
The late 1800s were also a time of growing interest in education across Texas. Communities wanted schools and colleges of their own, and churchgoers were often among the people who made them happen.
People & events
The story starts with the Rev. William H. Wright, who in 1882 gathered a small group of Christians in Arlington. He formally organized the congregation as First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1890. Church trustees bought two lots at Mesquite and South Streets in 1892, and the members built their first sanctuary there in 1895 and 1896.
One of the most remarkable chapters came in 1895, when three church members helped found Arlington College. That school is the forerunner of today's University of Texas at Arlington, and the bond between church and university that began then has lasted ever since.
The congregation kept growing. It built a new church at Abram and Mesquite in 1919, called its first full-time pastor in 1948, and moved into a new brick sanctuary on this site in 1957. It also helped start other congregations, Rush Creek Christian Church in 1977 and Saint Andrew Christian Church in 1988. Over its first century it became known for Bible lectures, educational work, music and social ministries, and later for programs like Mother's Day Out, pastoral counseling and televised services.
Its place in the American story
First Christian Church shows how often American higher education began with ordinary community members, many of them churchgoers. Across the country, colleges were founded by local people who believed their town deserved a place of learning. Some of those small beginnings grew into major institutions, and the path from Arlington College to the University of Texas at Arlington is a striking example.
The church's history also reflects the reach of the Restoration Movement, one of the distinctly American religious traditions that spread with the frontier. The Disciples of Christ took root in many Texas towns, and congregations like this one became anchors for community life.
Finally, the church's pattern of growth, from a small band of believers to successive sanctuaries to helping found new congregations, mirrors the growth of Arlington itself, from a railroad town into a large and busy city between Dallas and Fort Worth.
If you visit
The brick sanctuary on this site dates from 1957, the third home of a congregation that began in 1882. As you look at it, think about the earlier buildings at Mesquite and South Streets and at Abram and Mesquite, and how the church moved and grew along with the town around it.
This is an active congregation, so please be respectful, especially during services and events. The marker lets you take in the church's long story without disturbing its daily life.
A visit here pairs naturally with time near the University of Texas at Arlington, the institution church members helped found. Seeing the two together makes the link between faith, community and education feel real. It's an easy stop on any trip through the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Rev. William H. Wright
Related events
- · Founding of Arlington College (UT Arlington)
Themes & tags
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