 CHURCHES AND WORSHIP Churches
were an important part of Whitesboro's early history. Before
1850, a log cabin church, the first house of worship for the community,
was erected by a Methodist missionary named Rev. Blue. At that
time, it was used for ministering to Indians and scattered white
people. The church stood where the old part of Oakwood Cemetery
is now located. By 1895, Whitesboro had churches of five
different denominations - - Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist,
Presbyterian, and Christian. The following chapter is devoted to
a partial history of some Whitesboro churches.
CATHOLIC The
St. Thomas Catholic Church was located on Collinsville Street between
the Post Office and the Whitesboro Manufacturing Company. During
the early 1880s mass was held at the house of Mr. James
McGillicudy. Father Levy was a Denison priest who came to
Whitesboro occasionally and helped conduct services. Then during
the 1890s mass was held at the home of George Wade's mother. In
1906 the Catholics in town bought their church building under the
direction of Father Verbenement, and it was dedicated that same year by
Bishop Dunn of Dallas as the St. Thomas Catholic Church.
CHRISTIAN In
1872 a group of people met to discuss organizing a Christian Church in
Whitesboro. Captain and Mrs. T.J. Dove are remembered as being
(illegible) members of that group. The church was organized, and
the first service was held in the cut log school house where most of
the religious activities in town were held. A few years later the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Dove was opened for worship. The
Presbyterians, who had erected their own building in 1878, invited the
Christian group to meet with them in their church.
Seven years later, the Christians erected their first building, which later became St. Thomas Catholic Church. The first marriage in this church was that of Miss Minnie Dove and Jeff Copeland. In 1906 the Catholics purchased that building, and a new church began to be erected on Main Street. The first wedding in this new building was that of Miss Winnie White and E.A. Christian. The new building was dedicated on Sunday, September 2, 1906, with Rev. W.H. Coleman leading the service. The church received a piano when Mrs. S.B. Cowell presented one as a gift. CHURCHES OF CHRIST The
first Church of Christ in Whitesboro was what is now the North Union
Street Church of Christ. In 1956 some members left that church
and formed the East Side Church of Christ. They met on West Main
while their building was being built on North Avenue. R.L. Roberts
was the first preacher to serve them. The new church was
dedicated on June 16, 1957, only a few days after it was completed.
FAITH MISSION CHRUCH Founded
August 7, 1959, the Faith Mission Church was named by Mrs. Fred
Eslick. The first pastor was Rev. Albert Kirby, who was from the
church of God in Denison. A charter signed by John Conally was
received by the Mission a few years ago. The church is
non-denominational and has no church roll. It is patterned after
the church of early days.
HOLINESS The
Holiness church of Jesus Christ was organized December 15, 1930 by Rev.
Roy Graves of Sherman. Its original name was "The Pentecostal
Holiness Church." At first members met in the homes of Charley
Fritz, Mrs. Salzman Fritz and others. Then Mrs. R.J. Salzman
bought the Graves Mattress Factory to be used by the
congregation. The church is located on Elm Street.
NAZARENE The
church of the Nazarene is a result of a revival which was held in the
summer of 1911 by Rev. Allie and Solomon Irick. It was first
organized with ten members and was located where the ice house stood on
West Main Street. The first pastor was Rev. John Kind. The
church moved to the building above the Gaddie store and then to the
place where White's Auto Store is. The people erected their own
church building in 1918. It is located on Wainwright Street.
PRESBYTERIAN The
first Presbyterian church was organized by B. Frazier on March 22,
1858, with sixteen members. Services were first held in the old
log school house where their Sunday School was first organized.
In 1878 their church building was built, and it was the first one in
the city. During the first ten years, four hundred and
ninety-seven members were taken into the church. The first Manse
was bought in 1878 on Hall Street and was destroyed by fire. The
next one was located on the corner of Trollinger and North
Avenue. Then a few years ago another one on Hall and North Union
was purchased.
In 1906 the First Presbyterian Church of Whitesboro united with the Cumberland Presbyterian, and the name was changed to the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Then in 1957, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. united with the United Presbyterian Church and was renamed the United Presbyterian Church. The church is now located on Main Street. Bones Chapel Presbyterian Church was built in 1885 by Rev. H.T. Bone. It first began operating a mile west of the present location, a few miles northwest of Whitesboro, and was known as the Old Grange Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Then the new church, which was the old type Presbyterian, was built. In 1908 it became a U.S.A. church. When a tornado hit the building and damaged it in 1939, a new chapel had to be built. At this time Rev. Charles W. Estes was pastor. The new building was different from the old one in that it faced east instead of west, and it was built forty feet west of the old one. The land for the Sandy Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church was purchased in 1879 from S.W. Pike for $20. A.W. Rodgers organized the first church. In 1889 that first building was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt the next year. The second building served the people for 51 years until it was dismantled in October of 1940. Through funds donated by members of the community, a new church was erected. The church is located at Sandusky. ASSEMBLY OF GOD The
First Assembly of God Church in Whitesboro started with meetings in the
home of Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Whitten. Services were carried on there
for six months with Rev. L.T. Stewart of Forth Worth leading. In
May of 1945 he bought the old church of Christ building on North Avenue
and held services there on Sunday afternoons. Then the building
was moved to Chestnut and Water Streets on September 24, 1955.
The members of the church worshipped there until they built the new
Assembly of God Church in 1966, with A.L. Perry as pastor. The
youth of that church are affiliated with the Assembly of God Church in
Springfield, Missouri.
BAPTISTS The
First Baptist Church was organized in 1859, but the first records that
can be found show Rev. S.A. Beauchamp to be pastor starting with June of
1884. The lot that the church was to be built on was given by Dr.
Trollinger. One the second Sunday in June, 1884, a dedication
service was held for the church with Rev. Beauchamp leading. The
Presbyterians alternated with the Baptists on the use of the church
every other Sunday. The first man on the roll was A.B. White, for
whom the town is named.
It was not until Sunday, May 20, 1906, that the church was called "First Baptist Church." A new church building was built during the time between 1913 and 1918, part of which is standing now. Then in 1948, a new educational building was constructed at the back of the church. A second story was added to this in 1951. Also during this time plans were being made for the construction of a new auditorium. It was begun in September of 1957 with John Carl Sanders, a member of the church, serving as contractor. On June 22, 1969, a ground breaking ceremony was held, and in April of 1970, the new classroom building was completed. The church is located on Center Street. The Landmark Baptist Church was organized on September 28, 1953, in a tent on the west side of Whitesboro, with Rev. J.C. Patterson as its first pastor. Worship services were carried on in the American Legion Hall after that. On December 10, 1953, the No.1 Mt. Zion Whitesboro Landmark Baptist Church building, which was located eighteen miles north of Whitesboro, was moved to East South Street. It was moved by N.R. Earnhart, who set it on blocks. Since then air-conditioning, a nursery, new pews, a pulpit, new window blinds, Sunday School rooms and a piano have been added. METHODIST The
First Methodist-Episcopal Church South was built in 1877. It was
a square frame building which was later remodeled by adding a pulpit
and an alcove for the choir. The church was dedicated by Bishop
Charles G. Galloway in 1888. Then in 1905 the Robertson Memorial
Methodist Church was built and named after H.H. Robertson, the man who
turned the first shovel of dirt and drove in the last nail. He
passed away before the church was dedicated in 1913 by Bishop Muzan of
Dallas. The first pastor of the church was Rev. J.W. Hill.
The first missionary society of the church, the Women's Missionary
Society, was organized in 1881 by Mrs. N.D. Towns.
In 1956 the church members decided that it was time to build a new church, and on August 3, 1958, the Methodist congregation opened its doors to a new house of worship. The dedication service of this building was held just a few months ago when the members paid off the debt. It is located on South Union Street.  Below is a list of the churches in the Whitesboro area as of January 4, 1974:
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