Waco in McLennan County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Methodist Home

Photographed By James Hulse, August 5, 2022

1. The Methodist Home Marker

Inscription. The general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, appointed the Rev. Joseph S. Key as Bishop for the Northwest Texas Conference of the Denomination in 1890. Bishop Key, who had previously worked with Methodist orphanages in Georgia, saw an immediate need for a similar institution in Texas. With the help of the Rev. Dr. Horace Bishop, pastor of Waco's Fifth Street Methodist Church (now First United Methodist), Key secured the 27-acre Emily W. Martin estate and large Miller family residence at this site for an orphanage.

The Rev. W.H. Vaughn served as the Methodist Home's first administrator. The first orphan was welcomed in April 1894, and by the end of that year the home was caring for twenty-six children. As the number of programs and residents increased. The campus was enlarged and additional buildings were erected.

By the 1920s the home instituted vocational and college training programs. In the late 1930s cottages replaced dormitory housing and a chapel was built at the highest point on the campus. An associated boys' ranch opened east of the main campus in 1971 and in recent years programs have expanded to include community counseling and foster care.

Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 5379.)

Topics. This historical marker

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1894.

Location. 31° 34.187′ N, 97° 9.305′ W. Marker is in Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. Marker is at the intersection of Herring Avenue (Farm to Market Road 1637) and Heritage Trail, on the right when traveling west on Herring Avenue. The marker is located west of the main house and in front of the flag pole. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1111 Herring Avenue, Waco TX 76708, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Proctor Springs (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Proctor Springs (approx. half a mile away); Lindsey Hollow (approx. half a mile away); Old Site of Texas Christian University (approx. half a mile away); Redwood Shelter (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Clubhouse, Miss Nellie's & Anniversary Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Jacob's Ladder (approx. 0.6 miles away); William Cameron Park (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waco.

Also see . . .
1. Methodist Home For Children. Texas State Historical Association

The
Photographed By James Hulse, August 5, 2022

2. The Methodist Home Marker
Methodist Home for Children, in Waco, originated in 1890 after a resolution passed by the annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to establish and maintain an institution to be called the Northwest Texas Conference Orphans' Home. Bishop Joseph S. Key sponsored the resolution at the urging of Horace Bishop, a pastor in Waco. At that time the church was seriously in danger of schism over doctrinal differences. According to some accounts, the two men launched the project to unite the several different factions in a common philanthropic project. The city of Waco donated a ten-acre estate, including a two-story, sixteen-room residence.

(Submitted on August 11, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Key, Joseph S. (1829–1920). Texas State Historical Association

Joseph S. Key, Methodist Episcopal bishop and theologian, the son of Caleb and Elizabeth Key, was born at La Grange, Georgia, on July 18, 1829. After graduating from Emory College in 1848 he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. His first assignment, to a black mission in Athens, Georgia, lasted just a year before he left Athens for Savannah to become an assistant pastor. He served in a series of churches for about two years each, in Columbus, Macon, Augusta, and Atlanta.

The view of the Methodist Home and Marker from the driveway image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 5, 2022

3. The view of the Methodist Home and Marker from the driveway

(Submitted on August 11, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The Methodist Home and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 5, 2022

4. The Methodist Home and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 163 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 11, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.