Texana Presbyterian Church
Edna, Jackson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The earliest Presbyterian church in Jackson County, the Texana congregation was formed in 1855 under the leadership of John Adams Brackenridge. The fellowship was established in Texana (8 miles SE), now a ghost town, but once the county seat and a thriving riverport. In 1859 the members constructed this frame sanctuary. It was moved to Edna in 1884, two years after the town was founded along the New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad. Later used as a warehouse, it now serves as a reminder of the pioneer area settlers of ante bellum Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Jackson County's first Presbyterian congregation formed in 1855 under John Adams Brackenridge in Texana, a bustling riverport and county seat that has since faded into a ghost town. The members raised this frame sanctuary in 1859 on the eve of the Civil War. When Edna sprang up along the New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad, the building was hauled there in 1884, later served as a warehouse, and now survives as a witness to antebellum pioneer life.
Why it matters
Its journey from a vanished riverport to a new railroad town captures how the coming of the rails redrew the map of Texas, leaving old county seats to become ghost towns.
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Related people
- · John Adams Brackenridge
Themes & tags
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