First Christian Church of Anna

Liberty Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), one of the earliest Christian churches in Texas, was founded in northern Collin County by pioneer settlers Collin McKinney and J.B. Wilmeth in 1846. In 1854 a Christian seminary was established by members of the Liberty congregation about two miles northwest of here in the newly established community of Mantua. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended its track in a North-South route several miles east of Mantua in 1872. Mantua soon declined in favor of the new railroad towns of Van Alstyne (Grayson County) and Anna which developed here in the early 1880s. According to local tradition Mantua's Christian congregation split between the two new communities. Former Mantua church members and early Anna resident Rebecca Sherley helped organize the First Christian Church of Anna in 1882. The Rev. Alf Douglas served as first pastor. Services were held in the Sherley home until it burned in 1886. About 1890 the first sanctuary was built here at the site of the former Sherley home. Major additions to the rear of the sanctuary were completed in 1949. First Christian continues to serve the community with spiritual guidance and various educational programs. (1994)

First Christian Church of Anna is a historical marker in Anna, Collin County, dedicated in 1993. It is one of 193 historical markers documented in Collin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 345 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.3479, -96.5482 near Anna. The nearest cataloged historic site is Sherley, A. & Bro. Hardware Store (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Public Education in Anna, Slater Cemetery, and Lair Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5085001706. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.