Shiro Presbyterian Church
Shiro, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In October 1853, eleven early settlers of the Prairie Plains community (3 mi. E), also known as Red Top, founded the Prairie Plains congregation of the Cumberland Prebyterian Church. Brother Weyman Adair served as the congregation's first pastor, although he became ill and died shortly thereafter. He was buried in the Red Top Cemetery. A few years later, in 1857, Jesse Bookman formally deeded five acres to the church; the property included the cemetery, manse and sanctuary. The church building was the only one in the area and served local residents as a community center as well as a house of worship. Due in part to a national rift within the Presbyterian church, the congregation did not hold regular church services between 1899 and 1906. That year, the Prairie Plains Church, like most Cumberland congregations, became part of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.. At that same time, community residents began moving to Shiro, where the Trinity & Brazos Valley Rail Line had been located. On January 17, 1909, church members voted to move to this site and change the congregation's name to Shiro Presbyterian Church. As area population declined during the middle 20th century, so did church membership. The pulpit was often filled by lay and missionary preachers, and the church held services once a month for many years. In 1952, members discussed disbanding, but two men, T.J. Staton and Edwin Harman, encouraged them to continue. With new energy, the congregation lobbied seminary students and others to preach. Members organized church lunches and a Women's Circle. By 1970, they added Sunday School classes. In 2003, the congregation celebrated its 150th anniversary. (2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Eleven settlers of the Prairie Plains community, also called Red Top, founded a Cumberland Presbyterian congregation in October 1853, and in 1857 Jesse Bookman deeded five acres for its cemetery, manse, and sanctuary. The lone church building served as the area's community center as well as its house of worship. When residents shifted to Shiro to follow the Trinity & Brazos Valley rail line, the congregation moved and renamed itself in 1909, weathering decades of decline before celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2003.
Why it matters
Its survival through schism, depopulation, and near-disbandment illustrates the tenacity of small rural congregations that anchored community life across generations.
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Related people
- · Weyman Adair
- · Jesse Bookman
Related events
- · Relocation to Shiro along the Trinity & Brazos Valley rail line (1909)
Themes & tags
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