Handley United Methodist Church
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized in 1877, shortly after the railroad town of Handley was established. The Rev. J.J. Cannafax, who was the first minister, also served as the town's first school teacher. Services were held in the one room schoolhouse until a Union Church was built in 1882. The Methodist congregation shared the building with Baptists, Presbyterians, and other denominations until 1907. The bell at this site is from the Old Union Church. Although Handley now is a part of Fort Worth, the Handley United Methodist Church maintains a rich heritage and tradition of service. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1877 just after the railroad created the town of Handley, this congregation was first led by the Rev. J. J. Cannafax, who doubled as the community's first schoolteacher. Early services were held in the one-room schoolhouse until a shared Union Church was built in 1882, where Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others worshiped together until 1907. The bell at this site survives from that old Union Church.
Why it matters
The church shows how faith, schooling, and cooperation among denominations knit together the new railroad towns of frontier Texas.
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Related people
- · J. J. Cannafax
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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As the Texas and Pacific Railroad pushed across North Texas in the 1870s, new congregations sprang up in the towns it created, often meeting wherever they could—here, reportedly in a lumber yard—before raising permanent buildings. This Methodist fellowship grew alongside Arlington itself, changing its name across the decades. Over the years its members lent their names to numerous local schools.
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