San Felipe Church

In 1837, the town of San Felipe de Austin was incorporated and the town council built a multi-purpose building to be used as a town hall, school, and church on land known as “Constitution Square.” The one-story building was constructed out of Cypress, an extremely long-lasting and rot-resistant wood that allowed the structure to exist today, over 175 years later. The Methodist group in San Felipe de Austin used this building for evening worship though the building was secularly owned by the town. By 1847, a new town hall was constructed, leaving this building to serve as a church and school only. In this same year, the town also added the second floor to the building. A new masonic lodge formed in San Felipe in 1859 and met on the newly built second floor. Today the ceiling still exhibits a painting of a blue sky with five-pointed stars and on the eastern wall an ‘eye of god’ painting. In 1880, a new school building was constructed for the town, allowing the first floor of this building to be used solely as a church. In 1883, a steeple was added and a bell was donated to the church. This building became the Methodists’ official church and the congregation still meets here today. Up until the 1940s, when the building got electricity, the church used oil lamps hung on the walls of the sanctuary for indoor worship. These lamps are still hanging today and are lit every Christmas Eve in remembrance of the church’s history. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1962

San Felipe Church is a historical marker in San Felipe, Austin County, dedicated in 1962. It is one of 83 historical markers documented in Austin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 273 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.8043, -96.0980 near San Felipe. The nearest cataloged historic site is Lambert House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include J.J. Josey General Store, Early Roads to San Felipe, and Austin, Stephen F..

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5015011706. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.