Belton Woman's Commonwealth

In 1867, Martha White McWhirter experienced a religious vision during which she felt she had been sanctified by God. She began to share her experience with other Belton women, and soon formed a small community of women who, desiring to leave their unfulfilling lives as wives and mothers, joined McWhirter in her beliefs. The four major tenents of the group included a commitment to celibacy, non-denominationalism, dream interpretation and communal living. The group called themselves the true church colony, and were later incorporated as the Belton Woman's Commonwealth. Because group members severed ties with their non-sanctified husbands and churches, they were forced to produce income for themselves and their dependent children. Among other jobs, the women sold bread, took in laundry and practiced dentistry from their headquarters at the McWhirter home. In 1886, the women opened the Central Hotel, which was located on the West side of North Main Street, between First and Seocnd Avenues. Although community members tried to keep travelers away from the hotel at first, the Central Hotel soon earned a strong reputation in the community and throughout the state for its fine food and accommodations, and the hotel served as an important source of income for the women. In 1894, Martha McWhirter was elected as the first female to serve on the Belton Board of Trade. As instrcuted in a dream, the group sold their Central Texas properties and relocated to the Washignton, D.C. area in 1900. The group's membership began to decline, and there were only nine remaining members by 1908. The last commonwealth member, Martha Scheble, died at the age of 101 in 1983.

Belton Woman's Commonwealth is a historical marker in Belton, Bell County, dedicated in 2009. It is one of 226 historical markers documented in Bell County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 411 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.0601, -97.4637 near Belton. The nearest cataloged historic site is McWhirter, George and Martha, House (historic place), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Ware, H. A. and Helena, House, Belton House, and Morey House.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507016244. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.