Wesley Chapel Church and Cemetery
Houston County, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A Methodist church was built here in 1903 and named in honor of John Wesley, founder of Methodism. In 1913 a two-room schoolhouse was erected to replace an earlier one-room structure. The school was consolidated with Latexo in 1949. Both the school and church buildings were destroyed by a tornado in 1953. An adjacent cemetery dates to the 1880s, with the earliest marked graves from 1885. Although regular worship services had ended by 1949, the chapel was rebuilt after the tornado and serves as a gathering place for the cemetery association.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A Methodist congregation built a church here in 1903 and named it for John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and a decade later added a two-room schoolhouse to serve the community's children. The school consolidated with Latexo in 1949, and a 1953 tornado destroyed both buildings. Though regular worship had already ended, the chapel was rebuilt and still serves the association that tends the adjacent cemetery, whose oldest marked graves date to 1885.
Why it matters
Church, school, and cemetery together made up the civic core of countless small Texas communities, and this site records how such a place persisted even after the community that built it had scattered.
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Related people
- · John Wesley
Related events
- · 1953 tornado
Themes & tags
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