First United Methodist Church of Beeville
106 E. Cleveland St., BeevilleIn 1861, three years after Bee County was organized, the Rev. Berry Merchant of Corpus Christi
assisted Beeville Methodists in establishing the Methodist-Episcopal Church, South. Between 1862 and 1870, circuit-
riding preachers ministered to the congregation, and worship services were often held in Bee County's original
courthouse, a small wood-frame structure. The congregation erected its first sanctuary, a wood-frame building, in the
early 1870s at the corner of Bowie and Monroe Streets. In 1904, the congregation relocated to this site and built a
Gothic structure with stained glass windows. It was replaced with a newer and larger worship facility in 1955. The
congregation was part of the Corpus Christi Methodist District almost continuously until 1891, when Beeville itself
became a district headquarters. A district parsonage was maintained until 1922, when the city again was absorbed into
the Corpus Christi District. Denomination mergers caused the congregation to change its name to the First Methodist
Church in 1939 and to the First United Methodist Church in 1968. It continues to play an active role in the religious
life of this community.