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Near Center in Shelby County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

Sardis Methodist Church

 
 
Sardis Methodist Church Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2025
1. Sardis Methodist Church Marker
Inscription. Neighbors in a small rural community in this area gathered together in 1872 to organize a church congregation. The need for a house of worship was met when members of the community worked together to cut trees and build a log structure.

The two acres of land on which the church was built were formally deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, by J.M. Hughes and his family in 1894. The congregation had outgrown the original church building, and construction was begun that year on a new sanctuary. Under the leadership of the Rev. John Goodwin, the new wooden structure was built by church members. The name Sardis Methodist Church was chosen by the Rev. H. Toomie, presiding elder of the denominational conference.

The Sardis congregation was served by circuit-riding ministers until the 1940s. It remained active until 1972, when it was disbanded. Members of the community raised funds to renovate the building and the congregation was reorganized in 1981. Regular worship services were held until 1986. Still the focal point for the community, the church is used for special services such as weddings, funerals, and homecoming celebrations
 
Erected 1989 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7693.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesReligion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
 
Location. 31° 48.103′ N, 94° 4.792′ W. Marker is near Center, Texas, in Shelby County. It is at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 414 and County Road 3085, on the right when traveling east on Road 414. The marker is located on the front wall of the church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2962 FM414, Center TX 75935, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is
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in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shelby County (approx. 2.4 miles away); The First Battle (approx. 2.6 miles away); Site of the Last Battle (approx. 3½ miles away); Fairview Cemetery (approx. 5.2 miles away); Racial Terror Lynchings / The Lynching of Lige Daniels (approx. 5.4 miles away); Lone Cedar Cemetery (approx. 5.8 miles away); First Christian Church of Center (approx. 5.9 miles away); First United Methodist Church Cemetery (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Center.
 
Sardis Methodist Church Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2025
2. Sardis Methodist Church Marker
The Sardis Methodist Church, Cemetery and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2025
3. The Sardis Methodist Church, Cemetery and Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 213 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on March 17, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
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Jul. 17, 2026