Mt. Zion Methodist Church and Cemetery
Fairfield, Freestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First church-- a log building located 1/8 mile east of Doddy Hollow-- was built 1854 by early settlers. The Revs. G. W. Walker, Timothy Green were founders. In 1860 church relocated 1/4 mile southwest of here on land given by Mary Holder. In 1880 J. L. Moody gave a tract situated 1-3/4 miles west. At that site a structure was built to house church, school, and Grange Hall. Site is now a "Prayer Park" (on Hwy. 84). Land for this cemetery, where many Confederate veterans are buried, was given by J. c. James and A. P. Vaughn.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Early settlers raised the first Mt. Zion church—a simple log building—in 1854 near Doddy Hollow, with the Reverends G. W. Walker and Timothy Green among its founders. Over the following decades the congregation moved twice as families donated fresh tracts, at one point sharing a structure with a school and a Grange hall. Its cemetery, given by J. C. James and A. P. Vaughn, became the resting place of many Confederate veterans.
Why it matters
The church and its graves knit together the antebellum settlement, wartime service, and Reconstruction-era community life of Freestone County into one enduring place.
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Related people
- · G. W. Walker
- · Timothy Green
- · Mary Holder
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Arriving in Texas from Virginia in 1852, William L. Moody organized and captained Company G of the 7th Texas Infantry, the first Freestone County unit to march to the Civil War. Captured at Fort Donelson in 1862 and later exchanged, he won promotion to colonel for bravery, cited for rallying his men in hand-to-hand fighting in dense woods before wounds sent him home. After the war he moved to Galveston and became a leader in its financial, philanthropic, and civic life.
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