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Jermyn
First Methodist Church Closed
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, 2010 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Jermyn got off
to a late start and has no 19th century history. Born in 1902 and
named after J. J. Jermyn, son of a Pennsylvania coal magnate, the
town is one of Jack County's last towns to appear. Cattlemen Oliver
Loving and W. P. Stewart were the men who donated the townsite.
In 1909 the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad arrivied and by the 1920s
the town had the basic institutions for banking, schooling and commerce
and a population just over 200. According to the Handbook of Texas
the population mysteriously swelled to 1,066 by 1968 but has since
declined to the figure of 75 - the same number that appeared for the
1990 and 2000 census. |
Jermyn
First Methodist Church Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, 2010 |
Historical Marker:
First Methodist
Church, Jermyn, Texas
Organized November
24, 1909, by the Rev. L. D. Shawver, pastor, in first house built
in Jermyn - home of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Jones.
The original trustees were J. D. Gillespie, H. T. Jinks, and W. T.
Jones.
This church (first in area) was built 1910 on present site, 1st Avenue
and Wise Street.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1968 |
Photographer's
Visit in 2010
From "Ignoring
Warning Signs":
"We came into the small town of Jermyn, and Walter said there
was an old church off to the south. I had already seen the church
on a previous trip, but I would like to see it again. We saw the old
closed and abandoned church, slowly deteriorating. I took several
pictures of the outside and noticed one of the panels of the front
door missing. He wanted to go in.
The sanctuary looked just like it did when the last service ended.
Everything was same except for the accumulating water damage from
the leaky roof. The people just left and never came back. The song
books were still in the pews; the piano was still behind the pulpit,
and the Sunday School materials looked ready to be handed out. It
is a sobering thought about what is happening all over the country
to small town America." - Barclay
Gibson, 2010 |
First
Methodist Church Interior
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2010 |
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The
volunteer fire department in Jermyn
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, 2005 |
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The
closed First Methodist Church in 2005
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson |
Jermyn,
Texas Forum
Subject:
Jermyn, Texas Methodist Church
My name is Ann Rankin Ordonez. I wonder [if any of your readers
know] who owns the church property at this time. I had considered
trying to buy and restore it. Probably wishful thinking, but worth
checking out. I am really tired of the big city. I graduated from
Antelope in 1958. I was there and in Jermyn in June of this year
with cousins. We all grew up in the area. Their Dad, Eddie Owen
ran for sherif of Jack County, I think in 1956 or 57 but lost. He
owned an oil-well servicing company in Jacksboro. I wrote you another
time about my Mom who wrote the Pops Eatin column for one of the
Jacksboro papers. - Ann Rankin, Tomball, Texas, Arankin1940@aol.com
, September 20, 2006
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Jack
County 1920s map showing Jermyn
near Young County
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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