Texas Historical Marker #12127
First United Methodist Church of Bishop. The Rev. Alton T. White, pastor at nearby Calallen, met with Methodists in the Bishop town hall to organize a Methodist Episcopal Church on November 12, 1911. Mrs. B. G. Bishop, Mrs. J. B. Butts, J. H. Herron, Mrs. Althea McClane, Mr. and Mrs. Reinhold Moser, Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Starrett, and Maude and Blanche Starrett were among the charter members. The congregation received the Rev. P. L. Pyle as its first pastor. In 1912, with fewer than 50 members, they set up a building program with L. E. Appleby, Mrs. F. Z. Bishop, J. H. Herron and R. Moser as the building committee. Though city founder F. Z. Bishop gave town lots for each denomination, the building committee agreed that the designated Methodist church lot was too far from the central business district. They exchanged the land for lots just south of Main Street. The groundbreaking took place in December 1912. The church was free of debt within nine years despite the ravages of drought and hurricane. A new building fund committee began its work in 1952. Two years later, church trustees bought a block of property facing Sixth Street on the north side. A large part of the land was a gift from church members in honor of their parents. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on October 27, 1955. The erection of the new edifice took more than a year to complete and included a sanctuary with a seating capacity of more than 400. By the end of 1966, membership had reached 586. The new building was declared free of debt and dedicated on December 14, 1969. The First United Methodist Church of Bishop continues in the traditions of its founders with programs of service and worship. (2000) #12127
804 E. Sixth St., Bishop, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12125
First Baptist Church of Bishop. The Rev. J. B. Bruce of Kingsville and seven organizers met with forty applicants on January 29, 1911, in Moser Hall in downtown Bishop to establish a missionary Baptist church. The congregation called the Rev. B. F. Goodwin as a temporary pastor. He held two services a month for a salary of $400 per year, supplementing his income with carpentry work. The Missionary Baptist Church of Bishop borrowed $13,000 from the Baptist Home Mission Board in 1912 for its first building as the town grew and church membership expanded rapidly. The new structure featured a stained glass window given by F. Z., Mary and A. E. Bishop in memory of their parents. The 1916 hurricane was among several natural disasters endured by the people of Bishop and the congregants of the Baptist church. Moser Hall, an ecumenical meeting space located on the second floor of a downtown building, was destroyed in that storm. In time the congregation outgrew its 1912 facility and dedicated a new sanctuary just west of the older site in 1949. An east wing was added in 1952 and a west wing in 1958. The structure was remodeled in 1970 and 1974, and extensively renovated in 1986 in anticipation of the congregation's Diamond Jubilee celebration. The First Baptist Church of Bishop continues in the traditions of its founders through missions such as the Iglesia Bautista, constituted as a church in 1996; community service such as the Share Center, where clothing and Bible study are made available to area citizens; worship; and religious education. (2000) #12125
311 E. Fifth St., Bishop, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00418
Bishop. The town of Bishop was established in 1910 by F.Z. Bishop on land he had purchased from the Driscoll Ranch. The townsite was staked on both sides of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico railroad line. F.Z. Bishop, who dreamed of building a model town on the prairie, managed construction of the town. Bishop planned the townsite and designed the business district to have a uniform appearance with brick facades. He began construction of an electric plant and water system, planted 600 palm trees along the streets, and laid three miles of sidewalks in town. A 40-acre city park with a lake, band pavilion and deer park were underway. A frame schoolhouse was built, and opened in September 1910. The town grew quickly and within two years the population had grown to 1,000. The town was incorporated in April 1912; R.R. Hall, business manager for F.Z. Bishop, was elected first mayor. Churches were built. A two story brick school with a raised basement replaced the first school. Although F.Z. Bishop declared bankruptcy in 1916, the town continued to grow and prosper. Oil and gas discoveries in the 1940's caused petroleum-related industries to supplant agriculture as the chief economic base. F.Z. Bishop was buried in Bishop in 1950. #418
Ash and E Main St., Bishop, TX, United States