Presiding Elder's House
Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1901, this house served as the parsonage for the presiding elder (district superintendent) of the Waxahachie district of the Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church for more than 40 years. Mrs. M.J. Cooke, for whom the house was built, sold it to the Methodist Conference in 1902. The Rev. O.F. Sensabaugh was the first of 13 church officials to reside in the house, which features late Victorian - era detailing in its porch, windows and gables.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This 1901 house was built for Mrs. M.J. Cooke, who sold it the next year to the Methodist Conference as a parsonage for the presiding elder overseeing the Waxahachie district. For more than four decades it housed thirteen church officials, beginning with the Rev. O.F. Sensabaugh, its late-Victorian porch, gables, and windows marking the standing of the district superintendent. It is a rare survivor among the administrative homes of organized frontier Methodism.
Why it matters
The parsonage illustrates the district structure that let Methodism administer and expand across a fast-growing Texas countryside.
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Related people
- ¡ M.J. Cooke
- ¡ O.F. Sensabaugh
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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