First United Methodist Church - Jefferson, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 45.406 W 094° 20.887
15S E 373714 N 3625126
There is no official account of the Church buildings which existed before 1860. According to the church marker, the first church building was of logs and was later replaced by the “most imposing brick church west of the Mississippi River.”
Waymark Code: WM15HEZ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/07/2022
Views: 3
Church Website"After the Reconstruction Period in 1877, the Methodists in Jefferson were faced with a problem that grew more serious each year. The defects in the church building, which had first caused alarm in 1873 became more and more apparent until they assumed a dangerous and threatening aspect. So great was the deterioration of the building that, in 1883, it was declared to be too dangerous for use. It was necessary to take immediate steps to construct a new building. The old building soon disappeared, and the present structure rose upon the ruins of the old church that year.
The facility built in 1883 has gone through renovations and additions at various times. The present sanctuary is built of cypress wood. The belfry was first crowned by a slender Gothic spire. Some members did not care for the steeple, and their desire for a change was realized after a severe hailstorm in 1917. They replaced the steeple with a dome, which drew more criticism. World War I was in progress, and some members said the dome resembled the German Kaiser’s helmet. In 1970 the dome was replaced with the present spiral steeple."