Stoneham Methodist Church
Stoneham, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early settlers of Stoneham, established in 1885, attended Methodist services in nearby Plantersville. This congregation was organized by 12 members of the Plantersville Church in 1885. Services were held in a school and led by circuit-riding ministers until 1893 when a frame sanctuary was built here and The Rev. R. W. Adams became the first full-time pastor. In the 1920s the church flourished and supported several youth programs. Due to declining area populations the church closed in 1940-1945 and 1960-1973. Reactivated in 1973, the church continues to serve the area with various programs. Sesquicentennial of texas Statehood 1845 - 1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1885 by a dozen members from the Plantersville church, Stoneham Methodist served its new railroad-era community first in a schoolhouse under circuit-riding ministers, then in a frame sanctuary built in 1893 with its first full-time pastor. The congregation flourished in the 1920s, closed twice as area population declined, and was revived in 1973 to continue serving the area. Its ebb and flow mirrors the fortunes of small rural Texas towns.
Why it matters
The church's cycles of growth, closure, and revival trace the changing fortunes of the small farming communities that once dotted rural Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. R. W. Adams
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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