Original Town Mesquite in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
First Methodist Church of Mesquite
In 1857, prior to the incorporation of the town of Mesquite, a group of area residents began gathering occasionally for Methodist worship services led by circuit riding preacher W. K. Masten. Services were held in a nearby building known variously as the Frost Schoolhouse or the Bennett Schoolhouse.
By 1863, the group had organized formally as the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Services continued in the schoolhouse until 1880, when charter members John L. and Lucy Futrell deeded this land to the congregation for the construction of a church building. Soon a small wood-frame structure was erected. Later damaged by a storm, it was rebuilt in 1900.
In 1887 when the town of Mesquite was incorporated, charter member J. E. Russell became the town's first mayor, and the downtown area began to develop near the church site. As the population of Mesquite increased, so did the congregation, and several progressively larger sanctuaries were built after 1916 to accommodate its growth.
Because of denominational mergers, the congregation changed its name to the First Methodist Church of Mesquite in 1939, and to the First United Methodist Church of Mesquite in 1968.
Erected 1991 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6700.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion.
Location. 32° 46.142′ N, 96° 35.936′ W. Marker is in Mesquite, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in Original Town Mesquite. Marker is on North Galloway Avenue north of West Kimbrough Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 N Galloway Avenue, Mesquite TX 75149, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. City of Mesquite (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sam Bass Train Robbery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Holley-McWhorter-Greenhaw Families (approx. 0.2 miles away); Public Education in Mesquite (approx. 0.3 miles away); CCC Company 850 (approx. 0.4 miles away); City Lake Park (approx. half a mile away); Lawrence Farmstead (approx. half a mile away); Mesquite Cemetery (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mesquite.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 210 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 2, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.