Iredell First United Methodist Church
Iredell, Bosque County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1869, Methodists in the Iredell area began worshipping at Hester Schoolhouse, a building used by both Baptists and Methodists for services. The Rev. Peter W. Gravis served as pastor. Two years later, the Methodist congregation moved toe Wills Chapel, a half mile east of present Iredell, on land donated by Dr. J.S. Wills for a church and campground. In the late 1870s, members moved the Wills chapel to a site in town. The growing Methodist Church increased in membership and in facilities throughout the next 100 years. Members also established programs and groups to support the congregation and the local community. (2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Methodism took root around Iredell in 1869, when worshippers shared the Hester Schoolhouse with local Baptists under the Rev. Peter W. Gravis. A land gift from Dr. J.S. Wills gave the congregation its own chapel and campground, and as the settlement shifted, members literally moved the building into town in the late 1870s. Over the following century the church steadily grew in membership and in the programs it offered a small Bosque County community.
Why it matters
It traces how shared frontier schoolhouses gave way to established congregations, marking the slow maturing of religious and community life in rural Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. Peter W. Gravis
- · Dr. J.S. Wills
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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