Red Bayou Methodist Church

This rural congregation constructed its first church building on land donated by Mr. & Mrs. J. M. C. Yates in 1861. The log building, located at the present-day site of Red Bayou Cemetery, also served as a school. In its early years the church held camp meetings on a regular basis; families arrived in wagons, buggies, and on horseback to camp together under brush arbors for three to four weeks at a time. Worship services were conducted by circuit-riding preachers, among whom were the Rev. Jester White, the Rev. McDougle, and the Rev. Charles Edgar Lamb. In 1882 the church established a mission church known as Tapp Memorial in the nearby community of New Boston. Sometime prior to 1912 a new frame church building was built at the site of the original structure. The new church building also served as a schoolhouse until 1922. In 1938 the frame building was relocated to this site due to expansion of the Red Bayou Cemetery. Sunday School classrooms were added to the building in 1948 and again in 1952. In 1953 the congregation acquired a parsonage and called its first full-time pastor. A fellowship hall was added in 1987. Red Bayou United Methodist Church continues to serve the community with various outreach programs. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995

Red Bayou Methodist Church is a historical marker in New Boston vicinity, Bowie County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 39 historical markers documented in Bowie County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 168 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.4888, -94.4077 near New Boston vicinity. The nearest cataloged historic site is Antioch (cemetery), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bowie County Courthouse, Meeks-Freese-Barnes, and New Boston.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5037009500. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.