Methodism in Joshua
Joshua, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Prior to the establishment of Joshua as a railroad town in 1881, Methodists in the area worshiped at the Caddo Grove and Marystown communities. A Methodist church was organized in Joshua in 1883 with assistance from the Marystown church. Constituted as part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the congregation is now known as the First United Methodist Church of Joshua. The fellowship has actively supported community affairs and missionary efforts. Its ties to earlier area Methodist congregations have made the Joshua church an important link in Johnson County history.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Before the railroad created the town of Joshua in 1881, area Methodists worshiped in the older communities of Caddo Grove and Marystown. With help from the Marystown church, a congregation was organized in Joshua in 1883 as part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and continues today as the town's First United Methodist Church. Its roots in those vanished settlements make it a living thread of Johnson County's early history.
Why it matters
The story shows how the coming of the railroad reshuffled rural Texas, drawing scattered frontier congregations into the new towns that rails brought into being.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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