St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation traces its roots to Christ Church, Matagorda, from which parish many of its early members had come following the relocation of the Matagorda county seat to Bay City in 1894. Formally organized in 1895 under the leadership of the Rev. John U. Graf, St. Mark's held early worship services in the two-story frame building that also served as a temporary courthouse. The first church building was completed in 1901 during the ministry of the Rev. John L. Sloan. Over the years, the congregation has placed an emphasis on community service and outreach. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Matagorda county seat moved to Bay City in 1894, Episcopalians who had worshiped at Christ Church in Matagorda followed, and in 1895 they organized St. Mark's under the Rev. John U. Graf. The young congregation held its first services in the two-story frame building that also served as a temporary courthouse, and completed its own church in 1901 during the ministry of the Rev. John L. Sloan. Through the decades the parish leaned into community service and outreach.
Why it matters
St. Mark's grew directly out of a courthouse relocation, showing how the shifting of county government could seed new towns and the churches that gave them permanence.
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Related people
- · John U. Graf
- · John L. Sloan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Matagorda County
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This corner of the Texas coast was home to the Karankawa people and the landing place of the French explorer La Salle in 1685. Colonists of Stephen F. Austin settled the area between 1822 and 1836, and the municipality of Matagorda organized under Mexican rule in 1834 before becoming Matagorda County in the new Republic of Texas. Erected by the state in 1936 for Texas's centennial, the marker honors early settlers, delegates to the conventions that declared independence, and Mary S. Wightman Helms, remembered as the first woman teacher in Texas.
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