Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church. . , The first organized church in Ellis County, the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Congregation was chartered with twenty members on July 25, 1847, two years before the formation of the county. The church was begun under the leadership of the Rev. Finis E. King, a pioneer area minister, with the assistance of the Rev. J.C. Provine of Paris in Lamar County. , Worship services were first conducted under a brush arbor and later in a cedar log tabernacle constructed by Matt McElroy and his eight sons. In 1872, during the pastorate of the Rev. D.G. Molloy, the present frame sanctuary was completed. J.P. Laughlin built the structure using lumber from Cherokee County in East Texas. , Ministers here have included such prominent early Presbyterian preachers as the Rev. King, pastor from the church's organization until his death in 1859, the Rev. Molloy, who served from 1861 to 1880, and the Rev. R.M. White, who was instrumental in the formation of several Ellis County churches. , Since the earliest days of settlement, the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Congregation has led in the development of Ovilla and the surrounding area. , Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983 , plaque on church: , Shiloh Congregation Cumberland Presbyterian Church, formed on this site July 25, 1847, Finis Ewing King, first minister. Building erected 1872, remodeled 1946.