First Methodist Church
Alvarado, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Held early services in hall put up by Wm. Balch, who in 1851 founded Alvarado. First church built 1866, burned 1885. This Victorian building with spire and lancet windows, 1886-1887 annexes 1940, 1950, 1960. Still has original bell. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Methodist congregation took root in Alvarado, the Johnson County town William Balch founded in 1851, holding its earliest services in a hall he had built. Its first church went up in 1866 and burned in 1885, but the community rebuilt the following year in a Victorian style of spire and lancet windows that still stands, later enlarged by mid-20th-century annexes. Remarkably, the church still rings its original bell.
Why it matters
The church tracks the growth of one of North Texas' early towns, from its founding through the loss and rebuilding that tested many frontier congregations.
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Related people
- · William Balch
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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