Kelsey Memorial Methodist Church (Iglesia Metodista Kelsey Memorial)
Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This church was established in 1872 by Bishop John C. Keener. The Rev. Alejo Hernandez served as the first pastor. The church prospered then faltered during the Mexican revolution and depression but survived to become the Iglesia Metodista by the late 1930's. With financial help from Anna Marietta Kelsey (1863-1953) the church built a new sanctuary here, and on July 4, 1948, was renamed Kelsey Memorial Methodist Church in memory of Anna's parents, John and Amanda Kelsey, noted early Corpus Christi residents. Kelsey Memorial United Methodist Church continues to serve the Hispanic community. Esta iglesia fue establecida en 1872 por el Obispo John C. Keener. El Rdo. Alejo Hernandez fue el primer pastor. La iglesia florecio despues decayo, debido a la revolucion Mexicana y la depresion, pero sobrevivio y para los fines de los 1930's fue conocida como la Iglesia Metodista. Con la ayuda financiera de Anna Marietta Kelsey (1863-1953) la iglesia edifico un santuario nuevo y en el 4 de Julio de 1948, fue renombrada Kelsey Memorial Iglesia Metodista en memoria de los padres de Anna, John y Amanda Kelsey, residentes notables anteriormente de Corpus Christi. Kelsey Memorial Iglesia Metodista Unida continua sirviendo a comunidad Hispana. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1872 under Bishop John C. Keener, this Corpus Christi congregation was led by the Rev. Alejo Hernandez, remembered as the first ordained Mexican American Methodist minister. The church weathered the upheavals of the Mexican Revolution and the Depression, emerging by the late 1930s as a Spanish-speaking Iglesia Metodista. A gift from Anna Marietta Kelsey funded a new sanctuary, and in 1948 the church was renamed in memory of her parents, the early Corpus Christi settlers John and Amanda Kelsey.
Why it matters
The church reflects more than a century of Hispanic Methodist worship on the Texas coast, a spiritual home that endured revolution and hard times to keep serving its community.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · John C. Keener
- · Alejo Hernandez
- · Anna Marietta Kelsey
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Antonio E. Garcia
Corpus Christi, TX
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1901, Antonio E. Garcia was sent with his sisters to South Texas in 1914 amid the upheaval of the Mexican Revolution. He trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before settling in Corpus Christi in 1935, where he drew on his Mexican heritage to create award-winning frescoes, murals, and wood carvings. Over six decades he painted monumental church frescoes, exhibited at the Texas Centennial, helped found the South Texas Art League, and taught at Del Mar College.
Hebrew Rest Cemetery
Corpus Christi, TX
Set aside in 1875, Hebrew Rest Cemetery served the pioneer Jewish families of Corpus Christi a full 55 years before a formal congregation organized there; before it existed, the nearest Jewish burial ground lay 140 miles away at Gonzales. The land was deeded by Captain Richard King, founder of the famous King Ranch, and the cemetery was organized by trustees of the Hebrew Benevolent Association. Among those resting here are a Civil War veteran, city officials, and members of a family lost in the deadly 1919 hurricane.
Galvan Ballroom
Corpus Christi, TX
Rising near downtown Corpus Christi in 1950, this streamline moderne building was the creation of Rafael Galvan, the city's first Hispanic police officer turned businessman, who added a 9,000-square-foot second-floor ballroom to showcase his children's orchestra. Over the decade that followed the hall welcomed touring big-band and jazz greats alongside conjunto and swing acts, becoming a rare stage where Hispanic performers could reach audiences that segregated clubs often kept them from. Still a working venue, it endures as a landmark of Mexican American musical life on the Gulf Coast.
LULAC
Corpus Christi, TX
On February 17, 1929, delegates gathered in Corpus Christi's Obreros Hall to merge three Texas organizations into the League of United Latin American Citizens — LULAC. Corpus Christi businessman Ben Garza chaired the founding meeting and was elected the new group's first president at its convention that May. From these local roots LULAC grew into one of the most influential civil rights organizations of the twentieth century, pioneering educational, social, and legal programs for Hispanic Americans nationwide.