First United Methodist Church of Palacios
Palacios, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Matagorda County was organized in 1837, and two years later area residents established the Matagorda Methodist Church. Decades later, in 1903, a group of people met in a one-room schoolhouse and organized the First Methodist Church of Palacios. The Rev. W.H. Nelson led the new congregation, which continued to meet in the schoolhouse until 1905. Church members built Pioneer Hall, a place of worship for all of Palacios. They soon added a parsonage and, in 1912, built a larger sanctuary next to Pioneer Hall. In addition to new facilities, the congregation developed new programs, including the youth group, known then as the Epworth League, and a choir. Member Julius Cunningham gave a church bell to the congregation; it rang for many years in the bell tower and is now located outside the sanctuary. Other members supported the congregation by donating furnishings for communion and offerings. Palacios’ population greatly increased during World War II, as the military established a greater presence at Camp Hulen. The church offered its facilities for Red Cross Work, and members worked at the U.S.O. and rented rooms to military families. Later, church membership increased, and new programs began, including the Methodist Men and Rebecca Circle. Although Hurricane Carla damaged much of the church property in 1961, the congregation has continued to add new buildings and services, including education programs and childcare, as well as youth and senior activities. More than a century after it began, the First United Methodist Church of Palacios continues to play an important role in the lives of its members and its community. (2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1903 in a one-room schoolhouse, the Methodist congregation at Palacios soon built Pioneer Hall, a parsonage, and, by 1912, a larger sanctuary, adding a youth Epworth League and choir. During World War II the town swelled around Camp Hulen, and the church opened its doors for Red Cross work, staffed the USO, and rented rooms to military families. Through hurricanes and the decades since, the congregation has kept adding buildings and ministries.
Why it matters
More than a parish history, it shows how a small Gulf Coast church became a home-front institution when the war brought a military camp to its doorstep.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Cates-Price House
Palacios, TX
John T. and Opal Cates Price arrived in Palacios in 1906 and, joined by Opal's parents, had architect Winn Wood design companion homes on adjoining lots by 1910. Unusual among Craftsman bungalows for its side-gabled roof and dormered second story with veranda, the house was a local showplace that once hosted former Texas Governor Pat Neff. During World War II it served as the unofficial officers' club for nearby Camp Hulen.
Site of Camp Hulen
Palacios, TX
Begun in 1925 as a summer training ground for the Texas National Guard on land donated by Palacios citizens, this bayside camp grew into one of the U.S. military's largest field-training sites after it was renamed for Major John A. Hulen in 1930. During World War II the War Department expanded it for anti-aircraft training and quarters for 12,000 personnel, and from 1943 to 1945 it held German prisoners of war. Returned to the Guard in 1946, it was gradually dismantled and the land sold off by the mid-1960s.
Bay City U.S.O. Building
Bay City, TX
Built in 1941 on land loaned by the Pierce Estate, the Bay City U.S.O. was one of sixteen such centers raised that year across Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma to serve both townspeople and soldiers training at nearby Camp Hulen. Dedicated in 1942 and run by the Y.M.C.A. under U.S.O. auspices, its programs drew more than 150,000 service personnel before operations ended in 1945 and the building passed to the American Legion. With its banded windows, cantilevered overhangs, and flat roof, the buff-brick, International-style hall is the last of five Gulf Coast wartime U.S.O. buildings still standing.
Calhoun County Participation During World War II
Port Lavaca, TX
Before World War II, Calhoun County lived by farming, ranching, and seafood — but after Pearl Harbor the Gulf Coast became a front line. The government condemned much of the shoreline, cleared Matagorda Island, and residents patrolled beaches after German U-boats sank Mexican cargo ships within sight of Port O'Connor. Camp Hulen trained anti-aircraft artillery, gunnery ranges rose on the barrier islands, and citizens spotted aircraft and even caught a man signaling submarines with a fishing-pole antenna.