Utopia Methodist Church
Utopia, Uvalde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established in 1866 as part of the Uvalde-Kerrville Mission; later in the Uvalde Circuit. Pecan grove behind present church was site of many pioneer camp meetings under brush arbors. The first was held in 1868 by the Rev. A. J. Potter, noted Civil War chaplain and circuit rider. This Gothic sanctuary, built in early 1890s with members doing much of the work, is on a site given by the Rev. Irving Jones and R. H. Kincheloe. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established in 1866 as part of the Uvalde-Kerrville Mission, this congregation held its earliest gatherings as pioneer camp meetings under brush arbors in a pecan grove, the first led in 1868 by the Rev. A. J. Potter, a noted former Civil War chaplain and circuit rider. Members did much of the work themselves in building the Gothic sanctuary in the early 1890s on land donated by local settlers.
Why it matters
The church's brush-arbor origins capture the improvised, communal faith of the Texas frontier before permanent sanctuaries could be raised.
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Related people
- · Rev. A. J. Potter
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Utopia
Utopia, TX
After an 1886 Indian raid on their nearby home, the Kincheloe family relocated here, built a home and a two-story rock store, and platted a town they first called "Montana," donating land for churches, a school, and a square. Congregations gathered even before the town was formally founded, and a postmaster later rechristened it "Utopia" in praise of the climate. The frontier settlement grew into a center for ranching and, in time, retirement and recreation in the Hill Country.
Old Rock Store
Utopia, TX
Built in 1873 of native rock by stonemason Joe Hastler for owner R. H. Kincheloe, this was the first building in the Hill Country community of Utopia. Recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1967, it stands as a durable relic of the settlement's earliest days.
Benjamin F. Highsmith
Utopia, TX
Benjamin F. Highsmith came to Texas as a young Missourian and threw himself into the fight for independence, serving in the Army of Texas in 1835–36 and later riding as a Ranger under the famed Captain John Coffee Hays. He joined the 1842 Somervell Expedition against Mexican forces and lived on into the twentieth century, a link to the founding generation of the Republic.
Jones Cemetery
Utopia vicinity, TX
In 1879 the Rev. Irvin Jones deeded two acres of his homestead to the Utopia Methodist Church for a cemetery, and his wife Elizabeth was buried at its center in 1886. Early settlers of the Taylor and Utopia communities rest here, alongside several Civil War veterans and the Mexican War veteran and Texas Ranger Ben Highsmith. Also interred is George Barker, the teacher credited with giving Utopia its name.