HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Saint Paul's Church

Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Founded May 10, 1877. Bishop A.C. Garrett laid cornerstone May 12, 1884, on land given by Judge J. M. Lindsay, civic leader. English Gothic architecture. Built of brick made locally. Foundation of huge limestone slabs, hauled to site by oxcart. First service in this church Aug. 6, 1885. Consecrated May 6, 1900. Saint Paul's had become a Parish, 1888; one of 13 original Parishes when the Diocese of Dallas was created in 1895. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Founded in 1877, Saint Paul's grew quickly in frontier-era Gainesville, with Bishop A. C. Garrett laying its cornerstone in 1884 on land donated by civic leader Judge J. M. Lindsay. Built of locally made brick over a foundation of huge limestone slabs hauled to the site by oxcart, the English Gothic church held its first service in 1885. It became a parish in 1888 and was among the thirteen original parishes when the Diocese of Dallas was created in 1895.

Why it matters

The church marks the establishment of settled religious and civic life in a growing North Texas town, built by hand from the materials of the land around it.

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Related people

  • · A. C. Garrett
  • · J. M. Lindsay

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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