First Methodist Church of Whitewright

This congregation traces its history to Sears Chapel (one mile southeast), a Union Church established in the late 1850s at the home of early settlers Christopher and Mary Sears. In 1876 the Sears family deeded the land on which the Sears Chapel Church building stood to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The village of Whitewright was established in 1878. The Methodist congregation associated with Sears Chapel organized the First Methodist Church of Whitewright in 1882. By 1885 the congregation had completed a sanctuary and a parsonage and was served by the Rev. W. M. Robbins, a circuit-riding Methodist preacher. A Sunday School, organized in 1886, averaged about 50 pupils during its early years of operation. A new sanctuary, built at this site in 1895, served the congregation for over 100 years. A new parsonage was completed in 1930, and in 1942 the church erected an education building. Major renovations to the church and education buildings were completed in 1979. The church, renamed First United Methodist Church in 1968, supports a variety of special annual events and continues to be active in many local and foreign outreach programs. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 1995

First Methodist Church of Whitewright is a historical marker in Whitewright, Grayson County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 144 historical markers documented in Grayson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 208 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.5116, -96.3958 near Whitewright. The nearest cataloged historic site is Martindale-Lackey-Hudgins House (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include First Presbyterian Church and Manse, Samuel E. and Mary C. Marshall House, and Whitewright Masonic Lodge No. 167.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5181007365. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.