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Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
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Located at 116 Elm Street, Fort Worth.
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This Tudor Gothic Revival sanctuary was constructed
between 1912 and 1914, during the pastorate of the
Rev. R.S. Jenkins, for the congregation of Allen
Chapel A.M.E. Church. Designed by black architect
William Sidney Pittman, who was a son-in-law of Booker
T. Washington, the church building is representative
of those erected by large black congregations in
southern urban areas. Elements of the modified Gothic
style are particularly visible in its tower and
stained glass windows. Recorded Texas Historic
Landmark- 1983.
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Ash Creek Baptist Church
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Located at 300 S. Stewart St., Azle.
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On September 9, 1871, the Rev. J.C. Powers led 48
charter members in organizing Ash Creek Missionary
Baptist Church. Guarding against Indians, Rev. Powers
preached with a gun beside his Bible and men kept
rifles on their knees. A meeting house was erected at
this site in 1891 under the Rev. T.H. Sturges. In
summers, brush arbors were built and prayer meetings
held on the grounds. The women sold all eggs laid on
Sundays to buy Sunday school literature. In 1965 a new
auditorium was built and the original structure used
for a Fellowship Hall. (1979)
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Azle Christian Church
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Located at 117 Church St., Azle.
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This congregation grew from worship services conducted
here in the 1880s on land donated by Dr. Azle Stewart,
for whom the town was named. Organized in 1890, the
Fellowship met under a brush arbor until 1893, when
the first sanctuary was completed. The earliest youth
organization for the church was the Christian
Endeavor, started about 1904. Members of that group
established the first Public Library for Azle in the
home of Valera Huster. Additions were later made to
the original structure and a new sanctuary was built
in 1974. (1980)
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Bedford Church of Christ
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Located at 2401 Bedford Rd., Bedford.
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Founded about 1874 by members of Spring Garden Church
of Christ, this congregation was originally called New
Hope Church of Christ. The first meetinghouse was
built here on Milton Moore's farm near a small
cemetery about 1874. The church has worshiped
continually at this site since its beginning. Moore
deeded this five acres to the congregation in 1877.
During its early years the church also served as the
local school. By 1900 the name Bedford Church of
Christ began to be used. In 1958 the congregation gave
the original buildings to a neighboring church and
built a new brick auditorium. (1983)
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Beth-el Congregation
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Located at 207 W. Broadway, Fort Worth.
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The beginnings of a Reform Jewish Community in Fort
Worth date to 1879, when the Hebrew Benevolent Society
opened a Sabbath School, and early services were held
in homes. About 1900, under the leadership of Henry
Gernsbacher (1858-1936), enthusiasm began to grow,and
in 1902 a call was issued in the area for the
organization of a formal congregation. Forty-three
people gathered to found the Beth-el Congregation, and
Sam Levy (1856-1927) was elected president. The Fort
Worth section of the National Counsel of Jewish Women
donated funds to bring a Rabbi to conduct High Holy
Days services. The early days of the congregation were
difficult ones, with services being held sporadically.
For a time, student Rabbis from Hebrew Union College
in Cincinnati conducted services for High Holy Days.
In 1904 a Rabbi was hired, and the congregation met in
rented quarters. A lot was bought on the corner of
Fifth and Taylor streets in 1907, and a Temple was
built in 1908. By 1919 the congregation had outgrown
the buildings and a new Temple was built on this site.
Soon after a 25th Anniversary Celebration, the temple
was destroyed by fire on August 29, 1946. Beth-El
Temple was rebuilt, and dedicated on January 7, 1949.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
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Birdville Baptist Church
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Located at 3145 Carson St., Haltom City.
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Organized late in 1853 by J. Boone, S. Elliott, J.
Freeman, W. Giddens, and R. Pickett. After an 1856-64
lapse, ten members reorganized as the United Baptist
Church at Fossil Creek. In 1917 congregation adopted
present name. (1971)
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Birdville Church of Christ
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Located at 3208 Carson St., Haltom City.
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On February 26, 1852, soon after Birdville became the
Tarrant County seat, 12 charter members attended this
congregation's first worship service. After
reorganizing in 1882, the members met in the Birdville
school building. In 1900, Richard M. Gano, the
well-known evangelist and Confederate general,
conducted a revival. This land was acquired from the
John McCord family and a frame building was erected in
1906. After a 1950 fire, this brick auditorium was
constructed and then repaired after a 1970 fire.
(1979)
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Broadway Baptist Church of Ft. Worth
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Located at 305 W. Broadway, Fort Worth.
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On December 31, 1882, six men and three women met to
organize this congregation. They called the Rev. John
Smith Gillispie as their first Pastor. The name South
Side Baptist Church was adopted January 14, 1883, at
worship services held in a rented hall at 15th and
Houston Street. In 1886 the fellowship erected a frame
church building on the southwest corner of Broadway
and St. Louis Avenue. Four years later the
congregational name was changed to Broadway Baptist
Church. As the church grew, larger facilities were
needed. In 1906 a brick structure replaced the
original building. On April 3, 1909, a devastating
fire swept Fort Worth's South Side, destroying over
200 structures, including the church building,
parsonage, and the homes of 22 member families.
Rebuilding started immediately, and a new church
structure was completed in 1910. The church complex
expanded with the addition of educational facilities.
A new sanctuary was begun in 1949 and completed by
Easter Sunday in 1952. The membership of Broadway
Baptist Church has grown to over 2,500 in its
centennial year. At least seven other Baptist churches
have been established through the efforts of this
congregation. (1982)
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Congregation Ahaveth Shalon
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Located at 4050 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth.
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Recognized as Fort Worth's first Jewish congregation,
Congregation Ahavath Sholom, meaning "Love of Peace",
was organized in 1892. William Goldstein served as its
first president. The first synagogue, a wooden
structure built in 1893 and located at the corner of
Hemphill and Jarvis Streets, was relocated to downtown
Fort Worth (819 Taylor Street) in 1901. Subsequent
growth in the congregation's membership led to the
construction of a brick structure at the Taylor site
in 1906. An adjoining building, which housed the
congregation's Hebrew Institute, was built in 1914.
The Institute's Ladies Auxiliary, organized in 1915,
sponsored a Sunday school and assisted charity
organizations. Mrs. Sam Rosen was its first president.
The Institute served as a community center for
military personnel during World Wars I and II. The
Men's Club, organized in 1944 with Maurice Rabinowtz
as president, develops cultural, social, and athletic
interests. A new synagogue, erected at the corner of
8th and Myrtle Streets, was dedicated in 1952. A
synagogue was constructed at this site in 1980.
Although the location of the synagogue has changed, it
continues to be the focal point for the religious
observances of the congregation. (1993)
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First Baptist Church of Arlington
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Located at 300 S. Center St., Arlington.
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In the 1870s this church was organized at Johnson
Station, an early Tarrant County settlement and
stagecoach stop. In 1876 the Texas and Pacific
Railroad built a lien through the area and founded
Arlington. The church and other institutions moved to
the new town. Worship services were held at several
meeting sites before the congregation built a
sanctuary at Pecan and Abram Streets in 1917. That
Church building burned in 1944, and an auditorium was
constructed on South Center Street in 1947. A new
sanctuary at this location was added in 1959. (1982)
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First Baptist Church of Crowley
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Located at 400 S. Eagle Dr., Crowley.
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Originally a small congregation in a rural setting,
this church has evolved through a continuous
succession of expansions into a leading suburban
church serving southwestern Tarrant County. The
earliest record mentioning the church dates to 1896,
the year of its establishment and admission into the
Tarrant County Baptist Association. The Rev. G. W.
Green served as pastor of the original 27-member
congregation. In 1899 the church began services in a
newly erected auditorium, built on a town lot on
Tarrant Street purchased two years earlier. Expansion
needs caused by steady growth in the Sunday School
program were satisfied temporarily with the interior
remodeling of an army barrack donated to the church in
1947 and the erection of a new sanctuary in 1951. The
lack of room for additional facilities at its original
Tarrant Street location resulted in the acquisition of
this 9.3-acre site in 1974 and dedication of a new
sanctuary four years later. The church undertook a
much publicized relocation of its 2-story education
building, constructed in 1966, from Tarrant Street to
this location in 1980. In 1991 the congregation, which
numbered more than one thousand members, celebrated
its 95th Anniversary. (1992, 1998)
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First Baptist Church of Grapevine
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Located at 301 E. Texas, Grapevine.
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Baptist in the Grapevine prairie area began meeting in
their own homes as early as 1846. Worship services
later were held in a log schoolhouse on what is now
Dooley Street in the community of Grapevine. On
December 25, 1869, the pioneers gathered to form a
Baptist Church. The eighteen charter members chose
A.J. Hallford as their first Pastor. The Church's
first sanctuary was completed in 1871. Over the years,
First Baptist Church of Grapevine has grown steadily
in membership and has provided significant service and
leadership to the community. (1984)
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First Baptist Church of Keller
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Located at 350 Loraine St., Keller.
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Founded in 1882 as the Keller Baptist Church, this
church was started by 20 former members of Mt. Gilead
Baptist Church soon after rail lines reached the area.
Early meetings were held in a schoolhouse and then in
the Union Church Building. The Rev. Elihu Newton
(1845-1925) served as the first Pastor, with R.I
McCain, William J. Prewett and William Crawford as the
first Deacons. A charter member of the Tarrant County
Baptist Association, founded in 1886, the First
Baptist Church of Keller has been instrumental in the
community's development for a century. (1983)
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First Baptist Church of Kennedale
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Located at 309 N. Kinney St., Kennedale.
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Believed to have been organized before 1887, this
congregation met for worship in a local schoolhouse
and baptized new members in nearby creeks and a small
lake to the tune of "Shall We Gather at The River."
Land was deeded to the Kennedale Baptist Church in
1887; in 1895 the church joined the Tarrant County
Baptist Association. The Kennedale community
tabernacle, shared with area Methodists, was used for
larger socials and revivals. By 1896 the congregation
was installed in a one-room structure of its own with
the Reverend G. W. Green as pastor. A parsonage was
built on church property in 1938, and by 1940 an
addition to the original one room building was
required. A new two-story Austin stone structure with
tall stained glass windows and a balcony in the
auditorium, built in 1954, was destroyed by fire in
1959. Undaunted, church members raised $3,585.65, sold
the parsonage, and erected a fellowship hall. By 1961,
a new church building faced east. The First Baptist
Church of Kennedale continues a proud tradition of
over 110 years of community service with such programs
as the Women's Missionary Union, established in August
1903, and a taped ministry for shut-ins. (1997)
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First Baptist Church of White
Settlement
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Located at 7801 White Settlement Rd., White
Settlement.
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Six charter members established this congregation in
1868 and named it New Prospect Baptist Church. The
founding members - Joseph and Melinda Jane Farmer,
James and Sally Young, and Lawrence and E. A. Steel
-called the Rev. J. C. Powers as their first pastor.
They met in Grant's School, a one-room log cabin that
also served as a community center. Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Dearing gave the church an acre of land and then sold
another acre to the church for the purpose of building
a permanent house of worship in the White Settlement
community in 1905. Three years later the name was
changed to White Settlement Baptist Church. A
lightning strike in May 1946 caused the church
building to burn to the ground. Members met in an
adjacent school facility while plans were made for a
new building, which was completed in 1953. The
congregation maintained a fairly small membership
until the 1940s and 1950s when nearby development of
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Carswell Air Force
Base and associated industries brought a surge in the
area's population. During this time, White Settlement
Baptist Church helped found a number of new
congregations in the county and developed strong
programs of education, mission and outreach to the
community. Known as the First Baptist Church of White
Settlement since 1954, the congregation has played a
significant role in the religious history of Tarrant
County and continues to uphold the ideals and
traditions of its founders. (2001)
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First Christian Church of Fort Worth
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Located at 612 Throckmorton St., Fort Worth.
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City's pioneer congregation, organized by the Rev.
A.M. Dean, who with hymn book and revolver came in
1855 to the riotous six-year-old hamlet on the
Trinity. He held services (at present Belknap and
Houston streets) in a log house built for Post
Surgeon, 2nd Dragoons, U.S. Army, stationed at fort
that gave the city its name. Charter members were: Mr.
and Mrs. James K. Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin P.
Ayers, Mrs. Francis M. Durrett, Mrs. Alfred D.
Johnson, Mrs. Florence Peak, Mr. and Mrs. William A.
Sanderson, and Stephen Terry. First regular meeting
place, a one-story concrete house at present Belknap
and Lamar, was used on weekdays by Col. John Peter
Smith (member of congregation) for sessions of the
first public school established in Fort Worth. Rev.
Mr. Dean, a frontier farmer, was followed as pastor by
Dr. B.F. Hall, a dentist, and by Dr. Mansell Mathews,
physician and judge of Red River County, and head of a
large family grazing cattle in this area. Confederate
General R.M Gano of Grapevine after the Civil War
preached regularly at this church. In later 1860s came
the Rev. Joseph Clark and sons Addison and Randolph,
who in 1873 founded Add-Ran College, forerunner of
Texas Christian University. First Christian is the
oldest church in Fort Worth.
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First Christian Church
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Located at 910 S. Collins St., Arlington.
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This congregation traces its origin to a small group
of Christians gathered together by the Rev. William H.
Wright in the young town of Arlington in 1882. In its
first century it has involved into one of Arlington's
leading religious institutions whose Bible lectures,
educational services, and social and musical
ministries reach into the local community and beyond.
The Rev. Mr. Wright formally organized First Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1890. The congregation
erected its first sanctuary in 1895-96 on two lots at
the corner of Mesquite and South Streets purchased by
church trustees in 1892. Three church members who
helped found Arlington College (The University of
Texas at Arlington) in 1895 began a close association
with the University which continues today. First
Christian built a new church building at the corner of
Abram and Mesquite in 1919 and called their first
full-time pastor in 1948. The congregation moved to a
new brick sanctuary here in 1957. First Christian
helped establish Rush Creek Christian Church in 1977
and Saint Andrew Christian Church in 1988. The
congregation continues to serve the community with a
variety of social programs, including Mother's Day
Out, pastoral counseling, and televised ministries.
(1993)
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First Methodist Church of Azle
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Located at 200 Church St., Azle.
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The Rev. Will A. Stephens and 15 charter members
organized this church in 1895, then purchased a church
building from the United Brethren Church and secured a
parsonage. Sunday school classes began in 1930. The
church called its first full-time Minister in 1942,
and by 1946 membership had more than doubled. An
education building was erected in 1949-51 and new
brick sanctuary was built in 1960. The congregation
was renamed First United Methodist Church in 1968,
following the merger of the Evangelical United
Brethren and the Methodist denominations.
Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995.
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First Presbyterian Church of Crowley
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Located at 209 N. Beverly St., Crowley.
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This congregation grew from early brush arbor meetings
and a Union Sunday School begun in 1895. The
Presbyterians were one of the first denominations to
break away from the Union Church to form their own
congregation. By 1897, the fellowship had built a
sanctuary. The First Presbyterian Church of Crowley
was served for many years by circuit ministers. One of
their earliest pastors was the Rev. L. C. Collier, who
also served as president of the nearby Red Oak
Academy. Throughout its history, the congregation has
provided significant community service and leadership.
(1985)
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First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth
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Located at 1000 Penn St., Fort Worth.
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The Fort Worth Presbyterian Church was organized in
1873 with ten charter members. Affiliated with the
Presbyterian Church, U. S. ("Southern"), the
congregation built a frame sanctuary at the corner of
4th and Calhoun Streets. In 1886 the name was changed
to First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, and a new
stone structure was built in 1890. A Fort Worth
congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was
formed in 1878. When the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
("Northern") in 1906, the word Cumberland was dropped
from the local church's name. Desiring to work
together to serve the community with worship and
missionary programs, the two Fort Worth congregations
united in 1916 to form a federation, the first such
union in Texas. The members met together and shared
one pastor, but maintained separate national
affiliations. The congregation erected a new edifice
at this site, opening it on December 23, 1956. The
"Southern" and "Northern" denominations united in 1983
to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). (1992)
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