Montgomery in Montgomery County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
The Old Methodist Churchyard
Photographed by Brian Anderson, January 13, 2019
1. The Old Methodist Churchyard Marker
Inscription.
The Old Methodist Churchyard. . In Jan. 1839, the Rev. Isaac Strickland organized a Methodist Church whose members soon built a log meetinghouse on this site donated by founders of the town of Montgomery. The churchyard came into use for burials during the 1840s. When Pastor G. W. Rabb was dying in 1851, he requested burial beneath the altar of the frame church then being built to replace the log cabin. His grave and a monument commemorating pioneer circuit riders now (1976) mark the original Methodist Church site. The church and the nearby parsonage, which is said to have been the first Methodist parsonage built in Texas, were relocated in 1908. A tabernacle later erected beside the cemetery has also been demolished., A stone in this cemetery commemorates a soldier of the American Revolution who helped settle this county and died here. Churchyard burials included veterans of the War of 18 12, the Texas War for Independence, Mexican War, and Civil War, as well as many other pioneers, state and county officials, merchants, ministers, and physicians. In some of the unmarked graves are travelers who died here among strangers. Although a new cemetery opened in 1868, this one was also used until no space remained.
In Jan. 1839, the Rev. Isaac Strickland organized a Methodist Church whose members soon built a log meetinghouse on this site donated by founders of the town of Montgomery. The churchyard came into use for burials during the 1840s. When Pastor G. W. Rabb was dying in 1851, he requested burial beneath the altar of the frame church then being built to replace the log cabin. His grave and a monument commemorating pioneer circuit riders now (1976) mark the original Methodist Church site. The church and the nearby parsonage, which is said to have been the first Methodist parsonage built in Texas, were relocated in 1908. A tabernacle later erected beside the cemetery has also been demolished.
A stone in this cemetery commemorates a soldier of the American Revolution who helped settle this county and died here. Churchyard burials included veterans of the War of 1812, the Texas War for Independence, Mexican War, and Civil War, as well as many other pioneers, state and county officials, merchants, ministers, and physicians. In some of the unmarked graves are travelers who died here among strangers. Although a new cemetery opened
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in 1868, this one was also used until no space remained.
Erected 1976 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7887.)
Location. 30° 23.33′ N, 95° 41.842′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Texas, in Montgomery County. It is on Pond Street north of Eva Street (State Highway 105), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 309 Pond Street, Montgomery TX 77356, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Houston Metropolitan Area. It is also on the American Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2019, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio. This page has been viewed 496 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 14, 2019, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio. 5. submitted on March 8, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas.
