Harmony Community Church and Stewards Mill Cemetery - Stewards Mill, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member QuarrellaDeVil
N 31° 49.301 W 096° 12.218
14R E 764688 N 3524077
The historic 1876 Harmony Community Church is in front of the Stewards Mill Cemetery, just south of the intersection of FM 833 on FM 2547 in Stewards Mill.
Waymark Code: WM162DK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/19/2022
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member pmaupin
Views: 1

Today, there is a simple non-denominational service every Sunday at 8 AM. A 1965 Texas Historical Marker notes the sanctuary as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and provides a few sound bytes:

Stewards Mill people -- Bonners, McCrerys, Watsons, Robinsons, Stewards, others -- after 20 years of worship in homes in 1876 built for all faiths Harmony Church.

Texas Presbytery, A.R.P., was founded here Dec. 9, 1876.

A second Texas Historical Marker, issued much later despite its 1965 date, adds depth to the original narrative:

This historic sanctuary is one of the oldest church buildings in Freestone County. People of the Stewards Mill community held church services in private homes or in the schoolhouse prior to its construction. On Oct. 7, 1876, the Awalts, Bonners, Robinsons, Stewards, Watsons and others met to form an organization to erect a church building to be used by different denominations on different days. On Dec. 9, 1876, Rev. Thomas Joel Bonner preached the first sermon in the newly built church, and afterwards the Texas Presbytery of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church organized here. The front-gabled rectangular plan church features board and batten siding and paired entry doors with transom lights.

USGenWeb has some interesting details, noting the pews are original, and that the Presbyterians used the sanctuary two Sundays a month while the Baptists and Methodist split the remaining two. Despite the change in denominations and the person in the pulpit, the congregations remained virtually the same from Sunday to Sunday. Services ended in 1954, but it's not clear whether all three denominations quit at the same time.

The church has an active presence on Facebook. Stewards Mill itself dates to the 1840s, and the 1869 store that was the longtime center of the community is nearby, derelict but still recognizable as an old store. Generally noted as a ghost town, Stewards Mill today is a quiet rural community of maybe a few dozen people.

The Stewards Mill Cemetery is right behind the church. Established in 1860, you'll find several burials from the early part of the decade, including sons of the community namesake, George Washington Steward, who is also buried here with his family and descendants. With well over 400 burials, it is still active. While the proverbial money shot is Mr. Steward's headstone, note that his wife, Rebecca, has a Citizens of the Republic medallion attached to her headstone. One would think that Mr. Steward had one as well -- it simply may have been damaged or stolen -- but hers appears to be the only one here. She is buried next to her husband -- his first wife, Sarah (d. 1862) is on the other side -- and the inscription on her headstone reads:

Rebecca J.

Wife of
W. Steward

Born
Feb. 13, 1819,

Died
Dec. 9, 1871.

-----------

Note "W. Steward" ... everybody called him "Washington."

Name of church or churchyard: Harmony Community Church and Stewards Mill Cemetery

Approximate Size: Large (100+)

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