Shiloh Methodist Church and Cemetery
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The burial of a child, James W. Rozelle, was allowed on this wooded rise in 1850 by land owners Edwin and Martha Harry. In 1854 the Harrys allotted one acre at this site for a Methodist church, called Shiloh after the popular biblical place name. The original trustees were David Byrd, Edwin Harry, Daniel Henderson, Jesse Hill, and Thomas Singletary, all buried here. The congregation first met in a log building until a frame structure was erected in 1870. In 1912 church members built the present sanctuary on the first site. The church was active until 1954.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This wooded rise in Cherokee County became sacred ground in 1850 with the burial of a child, and four years later landowners Edwin and Martha Harry set aside an acre for a Methodist church named Shiloh. Worshipers gathered first in a log building, then a frame structure in 1870, and finally the present sanctuary in 1912. The congregation remained active until 1954, its founding trustees still resting in the churchyard.
Why it matters
A single family's gift of land shows how burial grounds and churches grew together to knit East Texas settlers into lasting communities.
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Related people
- · Edwin Harry
- · Martha Harry
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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