McMahan's Chapel
Geneva, Sabine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The oldest Methodist church having a continuous existence in Texas. Organized as a "religious society," 1833, at the home of Colonel Samuel McMahan by the Rev. James P. Stevenson (1808-1885). As a Methodist Church, July 1834, by the Rev. Henry Stephenson. First building was completed in 1839 by the Rev. Littleton Fowler and given the name of McMahan's Chapel. Displaced by a new building in 1872 and again in 1900. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
McMahan's Chapel traces its roots to 1833, when a "religious society" gathered at Colonel Samuel McMahan's home, becoming a Methodist congregation the next year and completing its first building in 1839 under the Rev. Littleton Fowler. It is remembered as the oldest continuously existing Methodist church in Texas. Established in the days of the Republic, it has rebuilt twice while never breaking its line of worship.
Why it matters
As Texas Methodism's oldest continuous congregation, the chapel marks the arrival of organized Protestant faith on the Republic-era frontier.
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Related people
- · Samuel McMahan
- · James P. Stevenson
- · Henry Stephenson
- · Littleton Fowler
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Geneva, TX
Organized as a religious society in 1833 and formally as a Methodist church in 1834, McMahan's Chapel is the oldest Methodist congregation in continuous existence in Texas. Its first log building rose in 1839, replaced by later structures as the frontier community grew, keeping an unbroken thread of worship reaching back to the days before Texas independence.
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