Rutersville in Fayette County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of First Methodist Annual Conference in Texas
Photographed By James Hulse, October 4, 2021
1. Site of First Methodist Annual Conference in Texas Marker
The Rev. Martin Ruter (1785-1838) came to Texas as a missionary for the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1837. A town called Rutersville and Rutersville College, both located here, were named in his honor.
Bishop Beverly Waugh arrived in Galveston in early December 1840. His mission was to visit Texas Methodists and to assemble and organize the First Annual Conference. Accompanied by Thomas O. Summers, Waugh traveled to Austin, where on December 20, he preached in the capitol.
Bishop Waugh arrived in Rutersville on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day he called the conference into session at Rutersville College. During the four day meeting the delegates elected Thomas O. Summers Secretary of the Conference, heard reports of the nine preachers present, admitted four new preachers, and ordained two deacons. The Texas Missionary Society also met, and plans were made for the second annual conference to be held in San Augustine in 1841.
Following its humble beginnings here in 1840, the Texas Conference of the Methodist Church grew steadily, eventually to include additional annual conferences within the state.
Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1740.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion
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Location. 29° 56.547′ N, 96° 47.746′ W. Marker is in Rutersville, Texas, in Fayette County. Marker is on Old College Road, half a mile south of State Highway 159, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located just off the road on private property but the owners allow access to the site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4331 Old College Road, La Grange TX 78945, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Rutersville College (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Rutersville College (within shouting distance of this marker); Rutersville (approx. 0.4 miles away); Asa Hill of Rutersville (approx. 0.4 miles away); Oldenburg (approx. 2.9 miles away); Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1867 (approx. 4.8 miles away); James Seaton Lester (approx. 4.9 miles away); Fayette County, C.S.A. (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rutersville.
Also see . . . Ruter, Martin.
Martin Ruter, Methodist minister, son of Job Ruter, was born in Charlton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on April 3, 1785. Although his blacksmith father could not send him to school, he read widely in English literature and the classics and gained a working knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and(Submitted on October 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)French. After being called into the ministry, he joined the New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1801 and received his deacon's and elder's orders from Bishop Francis Asbury in 1803 and 1805. Source: The Handbook of TexasPhotographed By James Hulse, October 4, 20212. Site of First Methodist Annual Conference in Texas Marker
Photographed By James Hulse, October 4, 2021
3. The view of the Site of First Methodist Annual Conference in Texas Marker from the road
Public Domain - Wikipedia, circa 1820s
4. Rev. Martin Ruter
Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 155 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 7, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
