West Fork United Presbyterian Church
Grand Prairie, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1870 the Rev. Andrew Shannon Hayter organized the Good Hope Cumberland Sabbath School to serve the early settlers of the surrounding area. The first church building, which was also used as a schoolhouse, was located in the vicinity of the Watson Cemetery (2 mi. SW) on property donated by P.A. Watson. In 1872 the congregation adopted the name West Fork. The Church's third sanctuary, built two years after a destructive 1924 fire, was moved to this location in 1955 during construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
West Fork United Presbyterian Church traces its roots to an 1870 Sabbath school organized by the Rev. Andrew Shannon Hayter to serve early settlers near present-day Grand Prairie. Its first building doubled as a schoolhouse, and the congregation took the name West Fork in 1872. A later sanctuary, rebuilt after a 1924 fire, was moved to this site in 1955 when the Dallas–Fort Worth Turnpike was built.
Why it matters
Frontier congregations that served as both church and school show how faith and education grew together in the settling of North Texas.
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Related people
- · Andrew Shannon Hayter
- · P.A. Watson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
P.A. Watson Cemetery
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