First Methodist Church of Beeville
Beeville, Bee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1861, three years after Bee County was organized, the Rev. Berry Merchant of Corpus Christi assisted Beeville Methodists in establishing the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Between 1862 and 1870, circuit-riding preachers ministered to the congregation, and worship services were often held in Bee County's original courthouse, a small wood-frame structure. The congregation erected its first sancturary, a wood-frame building, in the early 1870s at the corner of Bowie and Monroe streets. In 1904, the congregation relocated to this site and built a Gothic structure with stained glass windows. It was replaced with a newer and larger worship facility in 1955. The congregation was part of the Corpus Christi Methodist District almost continually until 1891, when Beeville itself became a district headquarters. A district parsonage was maintained until 1927, when the city again was absorbed into the Corpus Christi District. Denominational mergers caused the congregation to change its name to the First Methodist Church in 1939 and to the First United Methodist Church in 1968. It continues to play an active role in the religious life of this community. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1861, just three years after Bee County was organized, the Rev. Berry Merchant helped Beeville Methodists establish a congregation, and for years circuit-riding preachers ministered to them, often in the county's small wood-frame courthouse. The church built its first sanctuary in the early 1870s, relocated to this site in 1904, and grew steadily as Beeville became a Methodist district headquarters. Denominational mergers reshaped its name over the twentieth century.
Why it matters
Circuit-riding Methodism carried organized religion to the scattered communities of frontier Texas, and congregations like this one grew into anchors of town life.
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Related people
- · Berry Merchant
Themes & tags
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