St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1884 of native limestone. Oldest church in area still in use. Modeled after Gothic church in Rugby, England, birthplace of W. T. Campbell, pioneer communicant. Other parish founders include: A. H. Barnes, Dr. J. C. Bierbower, T. H. Haynie, W. C. Price, J. F. White, J. E. Raiburne, and W. H. Webber. Interior decor including oaken altar and pews is original. Sanctuary enhanced by famous Tintoretto panel. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Raised in 1884 from native limestone, St. Mary's is the oldest church still in use in the Lampasas area, its Gothic lines modeled on a church in Rugby, England, hometown of pioneer parishioner W. T. Campbell. A cluster of early founders helped establish the congregation on the central Texas frontier. Its original oaken altar and pews survive, and the sanctuary holds a prized Tintoretto panel.
Why it matters
Enduring frontier churches like St. Mary's anchored scattered settlers into communities and carried Old World architectural traditions into the young towns of the American West.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · W. T. Campbell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department
Lampasas, TX
Beginning in the late 1880s with two hose-reel companies and a hook-and-ladder crew, the Lampasas Volunteer Fire Department became a fixture of the growing Central Texas town. Its members battled serious blazes and pitched in during several disastrous floods over the years. Each Christmas Eve, the department turned its big red trucks to a different mission, carrying food and clothing to families in need.
First Presbyterian Church
Lampasas, TX
Growing out of Presbyterian mission work in 1877, this Lampasas congregation formally organized in 1881 with just seven members and called its first pastor the following year. Across the decades it built and rebuilt sanctuaries, gained state recognition, and, aided by the Senterfitt estate, erected a new sanctuary in 1959. The congregation marked its centennial in 1981 by publishing its own history.
Matt and Rebecca Smith House
Lampasas, TX
Matt Smith came to Burnet County as a boy and built a career on the Texas frontier as a deputy sheriff and deputy U.S. Marshal. After marrying Rebecca Wells in 1891, the couple moved to Lampasas in 1896, where they ran the Lampasas Hotel with its restaurant and saloon. Around 1902 they built this Queen Anne cottage, with the scrolled brackets and cross gables typical of the style.
Central Christian Church of Lampasas
Lampasas, TX
This Disciples of Christ congregation organized as early as 1879, with V. R. Stapp as its first full-time pastor. In 1905 it replaced an earlier sanctuary with the present building of hand-quarried native limestone, whose Romanesque-revival masonry and corner tower still stand out. The stonework reflects the craftsmanship of central Texas's limestone country.