First United Methodist Church of Gladewater
Gladewater, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Developed as a railroad town in the 1870s, Gladewater grew slowly but steadily in the first decades of its existence. In 1922, twelve adults and two children led by the Rev. H.T. Perritte of Longview met in Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Godfrey's home to organize a congregation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They soon built a simple one-room sanctuary. The church and the town experienced dramatic growth beginning in the 1930s, when a local oil boom brought more residents. Since that time, members have formed women's and men's groups to support the church and its many services and programs. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Gladewater grew slowly as a railroad town from the 1870s until, in 1922, fourteen people led by the Rev. H.T. Perritte gathered in a family home to organize a Methodist congregation and soon built a one-room sanctuary. Everything changed in the 1930s, when the East Texas oil boom flooded the town with new residents and swelled the church alongside it. Its members went on to form the men's and women's groups that carried the congregation's many programs forward.
Why it matters
The church's sudden growth captures how the East Texas oil boom transformed sleepy railroad hamlets into bustling towns almost overnight.
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Related people
- · H.T. Perritte
Related events
- · East Texas oil boom
Themes & tags
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