The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection - Decatur, TX
N 33° 13.702 W 097° 35.130
14S E 631800 N 3677496
The sanctuary of The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is located at 905 S Church St, Decatur, TX. Constructed in 1889, it is the oldest sanctuary in the city, and it was moved to this site some time after 1940.
Waymark Code: WM1526Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2021
Views: 2
The sanctuary is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a historical marker approved in 1968 provides a little bit of background:
Oldest original church building in Decatur. Consecrated by great missionary bishop, the Rt. Rev. A.C. Garrett. Erected facing Main Street (2 blks W. of square) in 1889.
Known as "The Little Church with the Crosses", by 1912 it had deteriorated, but was restored and moved, facing Walnut Street.
In 1940 building was sold, used as mattress factory, but rescued same year and moved here, with sanctuary placed symbolically to east, toward Jerusalem.
Ascension and St. Mark Episcopal Church has some interesting reading on the old church and how it fits into their own history, shedding some light as to its original location:
The oldest original church building in Decatur, Texas, was founded in Decatur in 1888 by the great English missionary, Bishop Alexander Garrett. Its tiny building sat on Main Street about two blocks west of the town square until 1912, when Father Crittendon had it moved on the same lot, but facing Walnut Street. With intermittent services held by visiting priests, its membership diminished. In the late 1920s, Father Maceo had the building renovated and regular services were re-established. His efforts were continued by Father Virden and others. The building was sold by Bishop Harry T. Moore in 1940 and became a mattress factory for a time. One adamant member, Miss Ada Cates, confronted the Bishop with such force, the money from the sale was returned to her keeping. She then re-purchased the building, bought another lot, and had the building moved to the corner of Church and Hale Streets. Designated a Texas Historic Landmark in 1968 (see marker text below), it remains at that site today. Long-time members recall that the church, locally known as the Little Church of the Crosses, had so little heat in the winter that members wrapped themselves in blankets and quilts during service. Its entry way is so narrow that coffins could not make the turn into the church, so funerals could not be held there. Even with such historic charm and emotional attachment, it could no longer serve the needs of the congregation.
As Ascension's membership was struggling to maintain its mission church, another group of Episcopalians in Wise County found themselves, as a local news story of the time put it, "cow-birding their spiritual eggs in alien nests." Though many attended other local churches, they wanted to "plant the seeds of growth so that this area would be able to have a responsible development as a part of the Diocese of Dallas."
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Sanborn Maps to the rescue. The 1891 Decatur map shows "Episc. Church" at 501 Main St, just a couple blocks west of the square, and the 1914 map shows the "Episc'l Church" in its new position at 307 Walnut Street, just across the lot from where it had been originally. Today, the original location is 308 W Main St, with a building facing Main and a parking lot facing Walnut.
The congregation has an active website and presence on Facebook (see below), and they are one of the congregations listed by The Episcopal Church in North Texas. They get points for observing "International Buy Your Priest a Beer Day", and they sometimes hold services outside in the parking lot. Be on the lookout for the Little Free Library that they have, too.