St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
St. Mary's Mission was founded in the 1870s. On July 30, 1886, Bishop Alexander C. Garrett laid the cornerstone for the first church building, which was destroyed by a tornado in 1894. This building was completed in 1911, and St. Mary's became a parish in 1914. Featuring both Gothic revival and prairie school style influences, the structure is of brick construction with cast stone detail, a central entry porch, and a tower with battlements offset at the rear. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1987
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
St. Mary's Episcopal congregation traces to a mission founded in the 1870s, and Bishop Alexander C. Garrett laid the cornerstone of its first church in 1886. A tornado destroyed that building in 1894, and the present brick church—blending Gothic Revival with Prairie School touches, cast-stone detail, and a battlemented tower—was completed in 1911. The mission became a full parish in 1914.
Why it matters
The church reflects both the spread of organized religion across settling Texas and the distinctive architectural blending of Gothic tradition with the emerging Prairie style of the early twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Alexander C. Garrett
Themes & tags
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