Churches
Churches in Stratford are listed in the order in which they were established. The churches listed below were established before 1970.When searching for church records, remember that your ancestors may have attended church in Dalhart or Texhoma if their denomination of choice was not available in Stratford, or if those towns were more convenient to their home; also, they may have attended whatever church was available until other churches were established.
First United Methodist Church (1901)
The first church in Texas north of the Canadian River was organized at Coldwater on April 14, 1901. The church was the first established by the Coldwater Mission, a home mission project formed by the 1900 annual Methodist conference held at Georgetown, Texas. Minister W. B. McKeown was sent to Sherman County to form the church, which was moved to Stratford in 1902. The first church building in Stratford was at 519 North Fourth St., built 1902; the present building at Sixth and Main was built in 1949.520 North Main Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-2178
First Baptist Church (1902)
The first Baptist church in Sherman County was organized at Coldwater in 1902 and moved to Stratford the same year. Early services were held at the courthouse, then at the Methodist church. A new Baptist Church was built in 1906 at the corner of North Fourth and Chestnut. In 1959, the present church was built on Fulton at North Third.702 3rd Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-2234
First Christian Church (1903)
Organized in 1903, the first church building was opened in 1907 and destroyed by fire in 1918. A new building was built in 1919 at the corner of North Main and Fourth.420 North Main Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-2301
Church Of Christ (1920)
The Massie family moved to Stratford in 1919 but attended church in Texhoma until the late 1920s when they helped organize the Church of Christ in Stratford. Services were held in homes and commercial buildings until the late 1940s when a church was built at Third and Chestnut. The original church was torn down and a new building erected on the same location in 1963.315 North 3rd Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-5546
Assembly Of God Church (1941)
The Assembly of God church was organized and built in Stratford in 1941; the church was rebuilt in the 1950s.921 Fulton Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-2340
Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (1954)
Father David Dunn, pioneer missionary in the Panhandle, had Stratford on his route as early as 1903, but Catholics in Sherman County attended mass at Dalhart until 1954 when a local church was established. Mass was held in various locations until 1960, when the present church building was completed.510 South Fulton Street, Stratford TX 79084, 806-396-2298
Adapted from: God, Grass & Grit : History of the Sherman Trade Area, Volume 1
compiled and edited by Marylou McDaniel
(Hereford, TX: Pioneer Book Publishers, Inc., 1971)
Ask your local library about borrowing this book through interlibrary loan, or purchase from:
Sherman County Depot Museum
Hwy 54 & Main
Stratford, TX 79084
(806) 396-2852