BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CENTRAL
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH U.S.A. HERE
Weekly Democrat-Gazette, June 10, 1926
Actual work of razing the Central
Presbyterian church edifice, corner South Church and West Davis street to make
way for the new brick structure to be erected on the same spot, was started
Tuesday morning.
Memorial services, the final
rites to be held previous to the tearing down of the old building, were held
Sunday. At the morning hour, a special Children's day program was given after
Sunday school, after which the pastor, Rev. Chas. W. Estes, gave a complete
history of the church.
Contract for the erection of the
new building has been warded to J. H. Harris, Frisco contractor. The new edifice
will cost approximately $35,000. It will be constructed of tile, brick, and
ornamental stone, and will be one-story high with high ceilings.
As more of a memorial and a
remembrances than anything else, some of the most durable and stoutest beams in
the old structure will be used for support in the roof of the new building, it
has been announced.
***
History of Church.
Following is a concise history of
the Central Presbyterian church, compiled by Pastor Chas. W. Ester:
Seventy-five years ago, Collin
county and McKinney were unknown, only as an unoccupied country, waiting for the
coming of man.
How inviting, and what great
things have been perfected during these years; a great county settled and
improved; a wonderful city patented and built now a center of a great
civilization, known all over the land.
One certain plate of land then
containing 3, 129 acres of land, was patented September 6, 1850, and out of this
plat of land 120 acres were set apart for the purpose of locating a seat of
justice for Collin county and a donation for a town site.
Deed, dated March 10, 1851, given
by J. W. Wilmeth, chief justice of Collin county, State of Texas, to Alfred
Johnson and Melissa Johnson, lots 203, 204, 175, 176, Block No. 36, for $100.00,
in the town of McKinney.
Melissa Johnson sold land
containing these lots to James w. Thomas, and gave warranty deed December 2,
1868.
October, 1871, James W. Thomas
sold to Green W. Kerr, A. M. McCorkle and G. A. Foote, trustees of the
congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, in McKinney, Texas, and gave
warranty deed for lot No. 175, where the church now stands for $150.00.
Also, warranty deed, dated August
18, 1873, given by James W. Thomas to G. A. Foote, P. H. Bateman, W. S. Cloyd,
G. W. Kerr, and John Lovejoy, trustees of the Cumberland Presbyterian church in
McKinney, Texas, Lots No., 176, 203, 204, Block No. 36, in the town of McKinney,
Texas, for the sum of $590.00.
Along with the settlement of this
great country, God directed in the work and guided men concerned in His kingdom
to this open country, purchasing the land, and then directing one of His
servants to this community in the person of Rev. W. S. Cloyd, who organized the
Cumberland Presbyterian church, in the year 1871, in the Christian church
building, then occupying the corner just west of where the present Christian
church now stands, where services were held for a time until a school house was
erected near where the Caldwell sanitarium now stands, and there services were
continued until the old building was erected in the year 1874, during the
pastorate of Rev. Quaile (deceased).
All the finishing lumber in the
building was prepared and shipped here from Chicago, and the heavy dimension
lumber is of full measurement, and when removed you will se the kind of material
used in the early days to erect permanent buildings.
The gallery in the building, now
used for the children, was first prepared for a place for the negroes to come
and worship at all services.
The cedar trees on the lot were
set out by Mr. George White about the year 1872.
This plat of Block No. 36
of land has been owned for these many years by the church, and was never used as
a burial ground.
In this building the Methodist,
Baptist, and Episcopal brethren have held services and many souls have been
blessed inside these walls.
Mr. G. H. Dowlen, now one of the
trustees, rang the bell and cared for the building for all the churches for
worshipping here.
The bell that now is used by the
negro church, is the one that at one time occupied a one hundred foot tower on
this old building.
Rev. J. D. Boone (deceased)
served as pastor of this congregation just before the building was erected. Then
followed many other ministers of the gospel, viz: Rev. Walsh (deceased) was the
fourth pastor of this church, and other minister served as follows: Rev. J. H.
Wofford, (deceased), John W. Stephens, J. M. Cocke (deceased), R. E. Chandler,
J. M. Burrows, C. L. Dickey, B. T. Watson, J. W. White, R. R. Rives, Sterling
Park (deceased), J. W. Wilbanks, and Alvin O. Rue, and the present pastor,
Charles W. Estes, making the 17th.
Elders serving this church from
the year 1877, are as follows: J. A. Caskey, H. M. Parvin, A. B. Mayes, T. K.
Blewitt, James C. Rhea, Wm. A. Rhea, A. W. Dowlen, J. C. Ryan, J. W. Pafford, N.
A. Bomar, F. M. Roach., W. D. Goosetree, J. H. Sneed, T. F. Smith, T. F. Wilson,
J. J. Wilson, J. W. Ashley, Walter, Lewis, G. B. Hughes, Clint Thompson, E. F.
Renken, H. H. Norwood, J. H. Potts, Will J. Rhea., R. H. Williams, and W. W.
Kerr. Mr. John Looney was the First Sunday school superintendent.
The following was filed March 20,
1925, in Collin County Deed Records;
The State of Texas County of
Collin:
Before me, the undersigned
authority on this day personally appeared J,. H> Sneed, known to me to be a
person of truth and veracity, who after being by me duly sworn on oath deposes
and says that he is acting clerk of the session of the Central Presbyterian
church U. S. A. at McKinney, Texas, and was secretary of the meeting of the
congregation of said church on December 28, 1924, when the following statement
was adopted unanimously by the congregation of said church as giving the history
of said local congregation and its relation to the property of said church, said
statement being recorded in the minutes of said church as follows:
"Whereas, a local congregation
known as the Cumberland Presbyterian church at McKinney, Texas, acquired by
purchase a block of land known as lots 175, 176, and 203, 204 in Block No. 36,
of the old donation to the city of McKinney, Texas, as shown by deeds from James
W. Thompson to G. A. Foote, P. H. Bateman, W. S. Cloyd, G. W. Kerr and John
Lovejoy, trustees of the Cumberland Presbyterian church at McKinney, Texas,
dated August 18, 1873 and October, 1871, which are recorded in Vol. W. pages 232
and 233, Deed Records of Collin county, Texas.
"That said local congregation in
a short time after the acquisition of said lots erected a church building
thereon in which it has worshipped and conducted its religious enterprises and
business from the date of the erection of said building down to the present
time..
"That this local congregation
concurred in the result of the Union preceedings of the Cumberland General
assembly at Decatur, Ill., in 1900, and favored the union with and has
acknowledged its allegiance to the Presbyterian church in the United States of
American, and all its members claim now to be members of the united
organization.
"That after said union said local
congregation changed its name to Central Presbyterian church, U. S. A.,
McKinney, Texas, and it has continued to hold, use, occupy and enjoy sold
property, and has been worshipping in the church building, located thereon,
under its said new name according to the methods of the Presbyterian church in
the United States of America, and has used the manse as a place of residence for
the minister or pastor of the church, of their selection in accordance with the
creed and confession of faith of the said Presbyterian church in the united
States of America, from and since such union down to the present time.
"That there was no change in
membership of this congregation by reason of the union of said churches, and
said congregation still owns al of said block, except a narrow strip off the
south side of said lots 136 and 204 and by said congregation acting by an d
through said trustees of the city of McKinney, Texas, for street purposes in
July, 1923.
This congregation is now
incorporated under the above name, dated March 20, 1925."
CORNERSTONE NEW CENTRAL
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH LAID WITH APPROPRIATE CEREMONIES
Weekly Democrat-Gazette, August 5, 1926
An audience of interested people
gathered at the new church building of the Central Presbyterian church corner of
Church and Davis streets Thursday afternoon and enjoyed cornerstone laying
ceremonies.
Rev. Charles W. Estes, pastor
presided.
Invocation, Rev. Bean
Address, Mayor Perkins.
Reading list of articles placed
in the copper box.
Copy McKinney Weekly
Democrat-Gazette, June 10, 1926
Copy McKinney Trade News, June 6,
1926
Copy McKinney Examiner, June 10,
1926
Leaflets containing valuable news
of Collin county.
Copy The Presbyterian Advance,
July 22, 1926, (Education number)
Copy The Presbyterian Magazine,
June 1926. (Assembly number)
Coy The Westminster Teacher,
August 1926
Copy The Great Commission. Sermon
by Rev. William O. Thompson, D. D. L. L. D. , Moderator General Assembly,
Baltimore May 1926.
Copy The Presbyterian Handbook,
1926.
Complete enrollment of the Sunday
School.
Complete enrollment of the Church
Membership.
Copy The Holy Bible.
One small American flag.
After these articles were placed
in the copy box, it was sealed and placed inside the granite stone and the stone
set in place and sealed....
Churches Index
- Recommended citation:
- " McKinney Central Presbyterian Church,
Collin County Churches," Collin County,
Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries,
Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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