First United Methodist Church of Navasota
Navasota, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first worship services of the Methodist church in Navasota were held in 1853 in the community schoolhouse. The Rev. T. W. Blake served as part-time pastor for most of the antebellum and Civil War years. In 1866 the Houston & Texas Central Railroad deeded land at this site for use by the Methodist congregation. In that year, a frame building with shuttered windows was constructed for the fellowship. It was named Robert Alexander Chapel in honor of an early Methodist circuit rider in Texas. The chapel was also used by Navasota's Presbyterian congregation. In 1891 a rock building replaced the frame structure and was used until 1912, when a brick sanctuary was built. The current sanctuary was completed in 1959. Although the size of the congregation is relatively small when compared with that of other churches in the area, the First United Methodist Church of Navasota has served as host to the Texas Annual Conference of Methodist Churches. Throughout its history, this congregation has provided significant service and leadership to the community and has continued to uphold the ideals and traditions of its pioneer founders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Methodism took root in Navasota in 1853, when the first services were held in the community schoolhouse and a circuit-riding tradition carried the faith through the antebellum and Civil War years. In 1866 the Houston & Texas Central Railroad deeded this land, and a frame chapel named for pioneer circuit rider Robert Alexander rose here, replaced in turn by rock, brick, and finally the 1959 sanctuary. Small but influential, the congregation even hosted the Texas Annual Conference.
Why it matters
Frontier churches like this one were the civic anchors of new railroad-era towns, binding scattered settlers into communities across nineteenth-century Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. T. W. Blake
- · Robert Alexander
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Presbyterian Church of Navasota
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Organized in 1866 with members drawn from the older congregation at nearby Washington, Texas, this church built its first home in 1876 and replaced it in 1894 with the finely crafted Victorian sanctuary shaped by the taste of its English builders. The congregation reflects the westward and southward movement of settlers who carried established faiths into a rebuilding post-Civil War Texas.
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