Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery Archibald and Mary Greathouse, who settled in this area in 1848, gave their name to a creek and rural community that grew up here. The church, school, and cemetery that formed the focal point of community life were located on land deeded in 1881 by Ezekiel M. Brack, and on property deeded later by Martin Judy Dawson and George W. Whitefield. John Edward Dawson hauled lumber from Waxahachie by oxcart to erect the Greathouse Missionary Baptist Church building. Other early church leaders included Martin Judy Dawson, Jr., Caswell R. Tirey, and Thomas A. Tirey. The Rev. John Bailey was the first pastor. In the 1890s, a school was begun in the church building. Oldest known grave in the cemetery is that of Nancy Caroline Sims (1828-1881). When the railroad reached nearby Maypearl in 1904, many residents moved there and Greathouse began to decline. The school closed in 1912 and the church about 1927. The frame building was razed in 1958. A cemetery association, formed in 1974, maintains the burial ground. This community produced four Christian ministers: the Rev. Joseph M. Dawson (1879-1973), a prominent Baptist leader; the Rev. Everett H. Tirey; the Rev. J.W. Whitefield, Jr.; and the Rev. Austin Woodard. Another resident, Judge Jake Tirey, served on the Texas Court of Civil Appeals. (1978)
Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Greathouse Community, Church, and Cemetery is a historical marker in Maypearl, Ellis County, dedicated in 1978. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Ellis County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 300 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 32.2980, -96.9484 near Maypearl. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bethel Methodist Church (historical marker), about 2.0 miles away. Others within a short drive include High Springs Cemetery, Bethel Cemetery, and Jefferson Dunaway Home.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5139007107. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
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