Smiley United Methodist Church

Methodists in the Smiley area gathered for informal worship services as early as 1879. In 1885 a congregation, originally known as the Bundick Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, was organized with about six charter families. The Rev. W. H. Killough served as the church's first itinerate pastor. Later, Rancho circuit and other preachers held services at the Smiley church one a month. The congregation first met in the Bundick Schoolhouse, a two-story wooden structure also used for Lone Star Masonic Lodge meetings. The Smiley community moved closer to the railroad after the tracks were laid in 1906, and the Methodist congregation built a one-room sanctuary in the new townsite in 1907. It served the fellowship until the current structure was completed and dedicated in 1948. Members of the Smiley United Methodist Church generally have come from farming and ranching families. Over the years they have provided significant service and leadership to the community and have continued to uphold the ideals and traditions of the founders.

Smiley United Methodist Church is a historical marker in Smiley, Gonzales County, dedicated in 1985. It is one of 94 historical markers documented in Gonzales County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 186 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.2703, -97.6414 near Smiley. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Baptist Church of Smiley (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Smiley Lake and Townsite, Old, Smiley Lake Baptist Church, and Smiley Latin American.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5177004952. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.