First Presbyterian Church and Manse
Whitewright, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On October 30, 1853, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in the home of Christopher Sears in nearby Lick Skillet (Pilot Grove). J.A. Zinn served as moderator, and T.E. Montgomery, J.D. Barbee, and J.T. Clark as first elders. The church established the Canaan and Sears Chapel congregations in the 1860s. Sears Chapel moved to Whitewright in 1883, built a sanctuary in 1899, and became First Presbyterian Church in 1907. This Classical Revival church building, erected by the congregation in 1930, features art glass windows and doors. The adjacent manse has provided housing for pastors since 1902. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Presbyterian fellowship began in 1853 in the home of pioneer Christopher Sears at Lick Skillet, when North Texas was still raw frontier. Over the following decades it planted daughter congregations, moved to the growing town of Whitewright, and in 1907 became First Presbyterian Church. The elegant Classical Revival sanctuary, with its art-glass windows, was built in 1930 beside a manse that had housed pastors since 1902.
Why it matters
Its story traces the steady maturing of frontier faith communities into established town churches across settling North Texas.
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Related people
- · Christopher Sears
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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