HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Forest Grove Christian Church

McKinney, Collin County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This church traces its origin to informal prayer meetings held in 1847 at the home of William and Mary (Syndusky) Snider. American revolutionary war veterans and original settlers of the Peters Colony are counted among the early members of the congregation. John M. McKinney, Jr. and J. Ben Faulkner served as the first ministers of the church. All church structures have occupied this site adjoining historic Fitzhugh Cemetery which has graves dating to 1852. Although services ended in 1984 church buildings remain the site of various community programs and events. (1992) Incise on back: In Memory of Fred McKinney

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This congregation grew from informal prayer meetings held in 1847 in the home of William and Mary Snider, when the surrounding land was still being settled under the Peters Colony grant. Remarkably, its early membership included veterans of the American Revolution alongside the colony's first pioneers. Though regular services ended in 1984, the church buildings—beside historic Fitzhugh Cemetery, with graves dating to 1852—still host community programs.

Why it matters

The church links the Revolutionary generation to the settling of North Texas, a reminder of how veterans of the nation's founding lived long enough to help plant new communities on a distant frontier.

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Related people

  • · William Snider
  • · Mary Syndusky Snider

Related events

  • · Peters Colony settlement

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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