180 Year Old TX Church was Destroyed by Fire on 12/9/2024

First Methodist Church, Marshall Texas

Date added: December 09, 2024

Categories:
Texas
Greek Revival
Church

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Records of the First Methodist Church of Marshall, Texas, show that this church has been known by five different names since it was organized in 1839: Methodist Episcopal Church South of Marshall, Texas; First Methodist Episcopal Church South of Marshall, Texas; First Methodist Church of Marshall Texas; First United Methodist Church, Marshall, Texas; First United Methodist Church - Marshall.

Organized prior to 1845, the church held its meetings in a schoolhouse until 1853, when it moved to a converted building. The present site was acquired in 1860 and the building completed in 1861. The style chosen reflects the popularity and persistence of Greek Revival forms in mid-nineteenth century Texas. Litigation marred the church's first years; because the war disrupted the local economy, the contractors were unpaid until 1868.

Confederate President Jefferson Davis convened in 1862 a series of annual conferences of governors from the Trans-Mississippi states. The first conference, to discuss organization, defense, and administration of this critical area was held at First Methodist. A large audience gathered to hear Texas' Governor Lubbock, Missouri's Governor Jackson, and the representatives from Arkansas and Louisiana.

Besides the residence of Missouri's government in exile, Marshall became head- quarters for Trans-Mississippi Department logistics, and First Methodist was included as part of the complex. Confederate supplies were stored in the basement. A bell for the belfry was secured during the war by stealing one from Federal troops nearby. Many of the region's church bells had been confiscated for the production of Federal armament, so two local men felt no compunction in retrieving one for their church.

The bell remained in the belfry until World War I when it was sold to the government, again for military use.

The historic First United Methodist Church in Marshall, Texas, built in 1860-1861 just preceding the Civil War, is a large rectangular brick Greek Revival style building. The front elevation is highlighted by the five-bay nave, plain stucco cornice, and tetra style front (north) portico, of monumentally-scaled square and tapered columns. This structure was originally surmounted by a large square spire topped by a pyramidal roof. The spire contained a large brass bell. The site, which was composed of lots 1 and 6 of Block 9, was acquired April 6^th, 1860, from Thomas and Mary Bennett for $500. On the same day, the trustees exchanged with Mr. & Mrs. William M. Johnson an east portion of Lots 6 and 7 for the west 25 feet of lot 2. This provided a frontage of 85 feet on East Houston Street.

On March 10^th, 1860, the congregation decided to build the new church. Construction commenced with the awarding of contracts on July 6^th, 1860, to Mr. Alexander Pope and Mr. Bullington Smalley. Mr. Pope was awarded one contract for the foundation and walls of the building and a second contract for the construction of the four columns in the front portico. Mr. Smalley was awarded the contract for the woodwork. The contractors agreed to accept subscriber's notes in settlement for the work and materials and the notes were secured by liens on the property. Mr. Pope was an able lawyer in Marshall and Mr. Bullington was a successful farmer. Both men were members of the church. The building was completed approximately sixteen months later.

Although the construction of the building experienced many difficulties, the completion of the original building was an amazing feat. It was built with red bricks that were hand-formed at a location close to the construction site and the bricks were sun-dried. The bricks were made by slaves and were composed of Marshall red clay. A total of 352,404 bricks were used in the walls of the church. Approximately 60,000 additional bricks were used in four large, square and tapered columns in the front elevation. The motif of four large, square and tapered columns has been preserved in each of the additions that have been made to the sanctuary over the 145 years that it has been in use.

Mr. Pope, who was responsible for the brickwork, was paid $12 per thousand for bricks made and laid in the walls of the church and $16 per thousand for bricks used in the large square columns. The 40-foot tapered columns sit on larger square bases. After the foundation and brickwork on the four walls was nearly completed, a severe storm hit Marshall and the west wall collapsed. The trustees agreed to reimburse A. Pope the damages in the sum of $822.00 to reclaim the bricks and rebuild the wall. Upon completion, the total cost of the new sanctuary building was $14,294.30.

Litigation marred the first years of the church's new sanctuary and the contractors were paid seven years after the building was completed. By the time the structure was completed, the country was nearly paralyzed by the devastation wrought by the Civil War, and the subscribers were unable to meet their pledges for the new sanctuary. Pope was owed $2,199.34 and Smalley was owed $3,551.18. Smalley sold his claim to George D. Rogers on February 8^th, 1868, and Pope and Rogers entered suit against the trustees during the June 1868 term of the District Court of Harrison County to recover the debt. The District Court ruled that the sanctuary be sold to meet the debt of $6,942.80 owed to the contractors (there was no explanation of the difference of $1,192.28). Execution of the judgment was delayed for eighteen months during which time, in spite of the post-war period, the debt was paid in full.

The load-bearing walls of the church are extremely thick. The fact that the sun-dried bricks could not withstand weather, as kiln-dried bricks could, necessitated coating the exterior with hard-faced stucco. Consequently, the brick building was coated with stucco to withstand the weathering process when alterations were made in 1927. The original structure was approximately 100 feet long, 45 feet wide and 25 feet high from floor to ceiling. Also included was a balcony that was provided for the slaves who attended services with their owners, and early church records indicate the race of each member. Inside were two large pot-bellied wood-burning stoves to provide heating during cold weather. All construction was accomplished by mule and manual labor, and is a visible memorial to the craft abilities of the workforce that existed during the Civil War period.

The Marshall News Messenger, October 22^nd, 1961, in its reprint during the centennial of the Civil War noted that it was "one of the largest and handsomest edifices in Eastern Texas." Not everyone agreed, however, as the Marshall Texas Republican determined that the new building was in:

HORRID TASTE - the building committee of the new M. E. Church, when they sanctioned the massive, ill-shaped, unsightly pillars that are now in progress of construction for that church, must have come to the conclusion that four or five large brick chimneys in front of a building would add to its harmony of proportion. These pillars will stand for many a year, and as long as they remain, will present an enduring monument to the architectural taste of our worthy friends.

In 1882 the balcony was removed and the ceiling over the nave arched and frescoed. A pressed metal ceiling and gas chandeliers were installed. Ten vertical iron supports were added to the brick walls to provide additional stable support for the massive roof structure. These, along with the original brick walls, provide the basic vertical support for the roof over the sanctuary. The roof was and is supported by huge, hand-hewn oak beams. These are still in place and fill the attic above the sanctuary.

The first pipe organ was installed in 1899. It was purchased for $2,500 which was raised as the result of a fund-raising campaign under the direction of Rev. A. J. Weeks. Also as the result of the fund-raising campaign in 1899, the sanctuary basement was remodeled. Brick pillars that had supported the ground floor portion of the building were replaced by iron columns. A partition wall was removed, enlarging the available space for offices, library, committee rooms, and a ladies parlor. A number of windows were also opened in the basement walls.

Between 1901 and 1903, eleven stained-glass windows were installed. The focus window was eight feet wide and fourteen feet tall. This was installed in the south wall behind the pulpit and the choir loft. The other ten were five feet wide and fourteen feet tall and were installed five in the east wall and five in the west wall. This provided one in each of the nave bays. The original cost for the stained glass windows was $7,000. They are now priceless and protected with an exterior plastic shield.

The focus window honors Dr. E. M. Marvin. Dr. Marvin, a Confederate chaplain, was appointed pastor in May 1864, and later became bishop. In 1865, Mrs. Marvin wrote of her husband and the town of Marshall:

At that time the population was about three or four thousand. Our church, a good brick edifice, was the best in the place. The membership numbered about two hundred and the congregation was the largest in the city. The Federal soldiers attended his church and visited him at the parsonage; and at times he preached for them at their barracks." In the 1866 General Conference of the church which was held in New Orleans, Dr. Marvin was elected to the position of bishop on the first ballot. This was only the second such election of a southern clergyman from west of the Mississippi River. After the conference adjourned, Bishop Marvin returned to Marshall and completed his pastoral term at First Methodist, thus presenting "the singular instance of a bishop reporting his work as pastor to a Quarterly Conference.

The Marvin window, a gift to the church from Rafe R. Ramsey, portrays Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a magnificent example of stained glass art and bears the legend "Not my will, but thine, be done." The other windows were given by the church or church organizations. Four smaller round windows were given by individuals. Two of these are four feet in diameter and two are five feet in diameter. Two were placed in the east wall and two were placed in the west wall.

The first major addition to the 1861 structure was the addition of an educational building at the south end of the church in 1927. The building remained basically as it was originally for sixty-five years with a minimum of alterations with the exception of the removal of the spire and the removal of the gallery. During this renovation, the Marvin window was relocated from the south wall to the north wall where it replaced the center door. One set of doors remained on both sides of the focus window. The Marvin window was moved a second time when the sanctuary was enlarged in 1949 and the narthex added. A new wall was added between the two center columns and the Marvin Window was located at the very front of the church. The narthex was formed by closing the space between the two center columns at the front of the church. The two door openings at each side of the front elevation door openings were closed and new entrances were made to the east and west walls of the narthex. Curved stairways replaced the original straight steps. The interior was expanded twenty-two feet by opening the original south wall and moving the choir loft into an area that had been Sunday school classrooms. The remodeling also included new ceilings, woodwork, and fixtures. Four smaller round stained glass windows were added in 1950: two in the north wall and one each in the east and west walls of the structure. The proportions of the original rectangular auditorium space remained as it has been preserved with all of the alterations that have been made since 1861.

The original square spire was removed for safety reasons in 1909, and was replaced with a cupola which rests on a twenty-three foot square platform with a dentilled molded cornice and wrought iron railing. The cupola is composed of six bays formed by eight octagonal columns with simple capitals that are approximately twenty feet high. These are topped with a bell shaped metal roof and a large Latin cross. The cupola is high-lighted at night by flood lights which were added after electricity was brought into the church complex.

In 1911 the church installed its first pipe organ. In 1945 it was replaced by a new pipe organ that was built by Henry Willis II, a noted organ builder for the Wicks Company. This instrument is the largest of the remaining five that are still in use in the United States.

The 1927 classroom addition runs perpendicular to the original structure at the south end. The addition is a gable-roofed masonry structure with the roof ridge running perpendicular to the ridge of the original church. The gable end (west) facade is composed of five bays scaled to maintain the continuity of the original facade. Each bay contains a 12-light window in each story. A second major expansion occurred in 1949 with the addition of a new wing to the east containing additional classrooms, a kitchen and dining room, and a gymnasium. The addition formed a U-shaped courtyard on the east side of the church. An arched arcade defined the north side of the court. The north court was configured as a playground. Stucco was applied to the original sun-dried bricks and the addition was made of kiln-fired red bricks.

In 1958 the interior of the sanctuary was enlarged and remodeled. The main auditorium was lengthened 22 feet by recessing the choir loft into an alcove in the addition of 1927 and adding a balcony at the north end of the sanctuary. The ceiling was raised and arched with new lighting. Walnut wainscoting was installed throughout. The 1958 addition included the chapel, offices, parlor, classrooms, and mechanical functions contained in a gable roofed building with two gable ended wings projecting southward. A tower with cupola separates the 1927 addition from the 1958 addition and defines the west entrance to the building complex. The cupola that was added over the portico dominates the entire edifice and anchors the church's primary axis to the main entrance. The fenestration is similar to that of the 1949 addition.

In 1997 the last addition was added to the church complex. This includes preschool classrooms, a new and several small offices. The south court was designed as a playground for the Day School. Although the complex has undergone many changes, the impact of its all important north facade remains close to what the original must have been. The additions are all sensitive to the original and sited so that they do not intrude on the primary facade. The church is still a carefully-maintained landmark, and in 2004, the congregation initiated a comprehensive plan to preserve the landmark for future generations.

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Building Description

The First United Methodist Church is a rectangular stuccoed brick Greek Revival style building with five bay nave, plain stuccoed cornice, and tetrastyle front (north) portico of monumentally scaled square columns. The portico is surmounted by a large colonnarded octagonal cupola added in 1949 to replace the original belfry. Large stained glass windows were placed in the nave bays in 1901 and in 1949 the most important window was removed from the south wall and installed between the central two columns of the portico forming a vestibule. The interior has been expanded and remodeled, with new ceilings, woodwork, and fixtures. However, the proportions of the original rectangular auditorium space have been preserved. Major additions to the south end of the structure to house educational and administrative functions occurred in 1927, 1949, and 1958 using materials, scale, and massing sympathetic to the character of the original fabric.

Construction of the church commenced with the awarding of the contract July 6^th, 1860. The bricks were fired locally, probably on the site, by slave labor. The building was substantially complete by October, 1861.

In 1882 a balcony originally intended for use by slaves was removed and the ceiling over the nave was arched and frescoed. In 1899 a pressed metal ceiling and chandeliers were installed, and structural improvements made to the foundations replacing brick piers with metal columns. Eleven stained glass windows costing $7,000 were installed between 1901 and 1903, one in each of the nave bays with a major 8' x 14' windows implanted in the choir (south) wall. An original square spire topped by a pyramidal roof was removed for safety reasons in 1909.

In 1927 a $40,000 classroom addition was attached to the south end of the church. The addition is a gable roofed masonry structure with the roof ridge running perpendicular to the ridge of the church. The gable end (west) facade is composed of five bays scaled to maintain the continuity of the original facade. Each bay contains a 12 light window in each story.

A second major expansion occurred in 1949 with the addition of a new wing to the east containing classrooms and a gymnasium. The addition formed a U-shaped courtyard with the original church, an arched arcade defining the south side of the court. The interior of the sanctuary was enlarged and remodeled at that time, the main auditorium was lengthened 22 feet by recessing the choir south into an alcove and adding a balcony at the north end. The ceiling was raised and arched with new lighting; walnut wainscoting was installed throughout.

The cupola added at this time over the portico dominates the entire edifice and anchors the church's primary axis to the main entrance. It rests on a square platform with a dentilled molded cornice and wrought iron railing. Eight octagonal columns with simple capitals support the cupola, which is topped by a bell shaped metal roof and a large Latin cross.

The church attained its present form with a four story, U-shaped addition to the south end in 1958. The addition included a chapel, offices, parlor, classrooms, and mechanical functions contained in a gable roofed building with two gable ended wings projecting southward. A tower with cupola separates the 1927 addition from the 1958 addition and defines the west entrance to the building complex. The south facade contains a major entrance with an arched portico. Like the rest of the structure, this section is roofed with composition shingles. The fenestration is similar to that of the 1949 addition.