First United Methodist Church of Anson
Anson, Jones County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized in 1882 by the Rev. J. C. Strickland, a pioneer Methodist circuit rider. In 1908, during the pastorate of the Rev. W. H. Terry, local builder Thomas Veitch constructed this Romanesque Revival building for the church. The original bell tower was eventually lowered to avoid possible wind damage. Later additions to the sanctuary reflect the growth of the church, a leader in Anson's development for over a century. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -1982
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This West Texas congregation was gathered in 1882 by a Methodist circuit rider, one of the saddle-worn preachers who carried the faith across the frontier. In 1908 a local builder raised the Romanesque Revival sanctuary that still anchors the town, its bell tower later trimmed down against the prairie winds. For more than a century the church has grown right alongside Anson itself.
Why it matters
Frontier congregations organized by circuit riders were often a town's first institution, knitting scattered settlers into a community as the West filled in.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · J. C. Strickland
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Jones County Courthouse
Anson, TX
Named for Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, Jones County was created in 1858 but not fully organized until 1881—its founding delayed by the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the raw West Texas frontier. After a succession of modest courthouses, the county built its grand Beaux Arts landmark in 1910, crowned by a statue of Lady Justice atop a domed clock tower. Decorative painting later uncovered in the district courtroom reveals Arts and Crafts touches beneath the classical grandeur.
Jones County
Anson, TX
This corner of west Texas was crossed by an emigrant trail and a frontier military road guarded by Fort Phantom Hill, founded in 1851. The county was named for Anson Jones, a San Jacinto veteran and the last president of the Republic of Texas. Phantom Hill served as a Butterfield Overland Mail station in 1858-61 and then as a Civil War patrol point trying to curb frontier raids, before the county was fully organized in 1881 with Anson as its seat.
First Presbyterian Church Building
Anson, TX
The First Presbyterian Church of Anson was organized in 1882 by the Rev. Donald Frazier and nine charter members. This simple, vernacular sanctuary — the congregation's third — was built in 1929 with modest brick detailing and stained glass. When membership dwindled in the 1970s the congregation dissolved in 1984, and the building was given to the city of Anson to serve as a community museum.
Cowboys' Christmas Ball
Anson, TX
In 1885 a dance for cowboys and ladies at the Star Hotel in Anson so inspired visiting writer Larry Chittenden that he penned "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball," a poem naming real people and ranches of 1880s Jones County. Revived in the 1930s, the tradition drew national fame, even reaching the White House lawn, and settled into Pioneer Hall built with WPA help. Held every year with grand marches, waltzes, and period dress, it keeps a piece of frontier Texas alive.