Highland Oaks Church of Christ
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On August 6, 1855, a group came together in the small community of Dallas and formed a Christian Church congregation. The group consisted of the families of John Higgs Cole, Benjamin Franklin Hall, William Henry Hord, William Brown Miller, Jefferson Peak and Harvey Shepherd. The congregation met in private homes, the county courthouse and other facilities, and was soon joined by several other families. In 1867, they built their first church building near the intersection of present Ross and Market streets. Around that same time, Civil War veteran Gen. Richard M. Gano returned to Dallas, and he served the congregation as minister and church elder for many years. In 1877, the congregation suffered a split over the use of musical instruments during worship. The group favoring instruments left and later formed Commerce Street Christian Church. The members remaining became known as First Christian Church and in 1881 moved to a new building at Pearl and Bryan streets, becoming known as Pearl and Bryan Church of Christ. The congregation moved to a site on Garland Road in the mid-1950s and changed its name to Garland Road Church of Christ, and in 1983, it moved to Kingsley Road (Walnut Hill) and became known as Highland Oaks Church of Christ. Throughout its long history, the congregation has maintained ties to its church founders. Programs such as a food pantry and support for missionaries connect members to their community at the local and global levels. The church, a founding congregation for others in the area, remains a spiritual home to its members. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1855, a handful of pioneer families gathered in the frontier village of Dallas to form a Christian Church congregation, worshipping in homes and the county courthouse before building their first church in 1867. Civil War veteran Gen. Richard M. Gano served for years as minister and elder, and an 1877 dispute over instrumental music split the group, with those who remained becoming a Church of Christ that has relocated and renamed itself several times over the generations.
Why it matters
The congregation's long life traces both the growth of Dallas from a tiny settlement into a major city and the theological divide over instrumental music that permanently separated the Churches of Christ from the Disciples of Christ.
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Related people
- · Richard M. Gano
Themes & tags
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