First United Methodist Church of Jasper

During the late 1830s, the Rev. Moses Spear came to Texas and organized a Methodist circuit that included the town of Jasper. A congregation soon was established. In 1839, the Rev. Daniel Carl became first pastor. Jasper Methodists held worship services in private homes, in the County Courthouse, and in the Masonic Lodge building until 1859, when their first sanctuary was constructed. Men were allowed to enter the building from the front door, while women came in through the back entrance, and slaves climbed an outside staircase to enter their balcony. The women's Foreign Missionary Society, formed in 1882, began a fund-raising drive in 1903 that resulted in the erection of a new sanctuary. Completed in 1906, during the pastorate of the Rev. M. L. Lindsey, "the church the women built" served the congregation for twenty years. New facilities were added over the years as membership grew. Pastors who have served the First United Methodist Church of Jasper have included noted East Texas circuit rider Francis Wilson; James T. Irvine, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto; and E. L. Armstrong, who also taught school in Jasper County. Descendants of many of the early members still worship here.

First United Methodist Church of Jasper is a historical marker in Jasper, Jasper County, dedicated in 1984. It is one of 43 historical markers documented in Jasper County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 104 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.9251, -94.0020 near Jasper. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Baptist Church of Jasper (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Jasper County Courthouse, Jasper County, C. S. A., and Jasper County Historical Museum.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5241010447. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.