Texas Historical Marker #12540
Trinity Lutheran Church. Several German Lutheran families from Mills County migrated to Concho County shortly after the turn of the 20th century. These pioneers maintained close ties with their former congregations. The Rev. Franz Walther of Mills County conducted irregular services in the Lapp schoolhouse near the community of Live Oak beginning in 1913. In 1916 the Rev. Ludwig W. Karcher began preaching at Menard and was asked by Willie Pax of Live Oak to come and preach in the area. On October 29, 1916, settlers came to the Lapp schoolhouse from all over Concho County to hear the Rev. Mr. Karcher's sermon. They asked the minister to return on a regular basis. The congregation began with about 44 members. In 1917, they moved services to Eden, meeting in private homes and in the facilities of other Christian denominations. Eventually the parsonage became a house of worship. The Rev. Mr. Karcher and his wife made Eden their home in 1919. He began conducting religious education classes. A parsonage was the site of the first central Texas pastoral conference. A frame chapel was erected beside the parsonage in 1925. The Eden and Menard churches became a self-sustaining dual parish in 1928. The church has been led by many dedicated pastors; one became president of the Texas District and another served as president of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. The congregation chose this site in 1946 for a new church and parsonage. The church was dedicated in 1950. Prolonged drought in the 1950s caused many to leave west Texas, causing a decline in church membership. By 1957, however, hope was renewed for both the parish and the area at large. Trinity Lutheran Church continues the traditions of its founders. (2000) #12540
701 W. Broadway, Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11715
Eden Church of Christ. In 1903 a group of area residents began meeting for worship services in the Eden schoolhouse. Three years later, a few new families moved into the area and they were welcomed to the services of the existing Church of Christ group. A second schoolhouse was erected in 1910 and the congregation moved their services to the new structure. In 1915, trustees purchased land on Broadway Street and erected the Broadway Church of Christ. The small group that had joined the church in 1903 continued to meet with the Broadway congregation until 1925 when they formed a second congregation, the Church of Christ at Main and Bryan. Broadway Church of Christ erected a new building in 1939, adding an education wing and basement in 1947. By this time, the Main and Bryan congregation also had grown, adding a baptistry and other facilities to their site. The two congregations continued individual programs throughout the 20th century. By 1997 there were only about twenty-five members in each congregation, and they met together to discuss reunification. They debated the merits of the change and rotated services during the summer of 1997, and in September of that year they met as one congregation in the Main and Bryan facility. Now reunited as the Eden Church of Christ, the two historic churches continue to worship in the traditions of their founders. Eden Church of Christ is active in international and local mission work and community service. (2000) #11715
200 N. Main St., Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11716
Pioneers Rest Cemetery. Fred Eden platted Eden in 1882, setting this land aside for a cemetery. Though older burials may be present, the earliest tombstone is that of the five-week-old infant son of Frederick and Susan (Reynolds) Shutt, buried in 1882. Several graves for children and infants bear witness to the harsh conditions of pioneer life. Adults, too, faced difficult times. John Emmett Molloy and Charles Edward Waring both were killed in accidents with horses. According to oral history, a woman named Carson was killed by a runaway horse in 1887 and is buried in an unmarked grave. Of an estimated 33 or 34 burials believed to have taken place here, only fifteen tombstones remained standing at the dawn of the 21st century, but Pioneers Rest Cemetery continues to be a chronicle of Eden's history. (2000) #11716
5 Jackson Blvd., Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12349
First Baptist Church of Eden. The Rev. Zachariah Martin Wells of Menard, who had organized Baptist churches in San Saba, Kimble and Menard counties, led an organizational meeting for the Eden Baptist Church in August 1886 in a community building erected as a school and ecumenical church. Charter members included his wife Nancy Wells, D. L. and Mary (Wells) Murray, William A. and Martha Ballard and Mr. and Mrs. Linam. The Rev. and Mrs. Wells lived in Eden for a short time, but moved to Lampasas County in 1888. The Eden church had a membership of 16 in 1891 and grew quickly thereafter. In May 1905 church trustees bought the land on this site from W. A. and M. J. Ballard. Many local citizens who were unaffiliated with the Baptist church contributed to the erection of a frame building. By 1906 the church had 75 members and it continued to grow. Additional wings and a belfry were added in 1912. Ministers performed baptisms at Brady Creek south of Eden and at a water tank on the Ballard land as late as 1916. Church organizations included the Ladies Aid Society, later called Women's Missionary Union; Sunbeams, a children's program; a young women's association; Red Cross service organizations which were active during World War I; and a Vacation Bible School established in 1944. The congregation gave generously to finance a new building in 1947. The church organized the Eden First Baptist Mexican Mission in 1950. The First Baptist Church thrived through the following decades, and additions were made to the building in 1981 and 1989. At the dawn of the 21st century, First Baptist Church of Eden continues in the traditions of its founders. (2000) #12349
101 Burleson St., Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12350
Eden United Methodist Church. The first Eden schoolhouse was erected in 1885, and itinerant preachers who stopped to give sermons in the schoolhouse attracted people of all faiths. A community Sunday school met in the building for several years. The First Methodist Sunday school was formed in 1901 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Williams, who lived northeast of Eden in the Maverick community. The Eden Methodist Church, South, is said to have been organized about 1904. The Community Ladies' Aid Society, consisting of members of all faiths, helped raise funds for a Baptist Church building erected in 1905. The Methodists met in the building until they could erect their own house of worship. The Methodist congregation purchased a house for use as a parsonage in 1907; it housed circuit-riding preachers until the Rev. G. E. Glasspool became the Methodist Church's first full-time pastor the following year. The Methodist Church erected its own building in 1909. Alterations and additions were made as the congregation grew. In 1923 the Lutheran Church held services in the Methodist building, upholding the ecumenical spirit of cooperation of Eden's early days. Mrs. Hixie Crump Potter, a charter member, turned the first spade of soil at the groundbreaking of a new church building in March 1948. The first service in the new sanctuary was held on Easter Sunday, 1949. Church membership grew, and the congregation thrived. At the dawn of the 21st century, the congregation continues in the traditions of its founders with programs of worship and service. (2000) #12350
10 Bryan St., Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12922
General Ira C. Eaker. General Ira C. Eaker Ira Clarence Eaker was born April 13, 1896, in Field Creek, Llano County, Texas. In 1906, his parents, Young Yancy and Ladonia (Graham) Eaker, moved the family to the Eden area, where he and his brothers attended school. Eaker enlisted in the army on April 7, 1917, one day after the U.S. declared war on Germany. He was recruited into the army's early aviation program and continued his pilot training through the war, after which he commanded a squadron in the Philippines. There he helped devise an aircraft level instrument, which was further developed by the Air Corps Materiel Division. In 1926-27, Eaker served as a pilot in the Pan American Goodwill tour. He also conceived and tested innovative flight procedures. During the 1930s, he earned a journalism degree and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff School in Kansas. At the outbreak of World War II, Eaker was sent to England to organize and oversee the U.S. 8th Army Air Force Bomber Command, coordinating efforts with the Royal Air Force in round-the-clock bombing of Germany's war works. He sometimes accompanied his men, believing a commander should know what his troops face in combat. He commanded the 8th Army Air Force and later the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. Near war's end, he served at the Pentagon as Deputy Commanding General of the Army Air Forces. Eaker retired in 1947 and worked for Howard Hughes and then for Douglas Aircraft Company, from which he retired in 1961. He launched a newspaper column a few years later and involved himself in military commentary for the rest of his life. Remembering his foundation in Eden and his Eden classmates, he returned here often for family and community events. The recipient of more than 50 awards and decorations, including knighthood in England and a U.S. Congressional Gold Medal as "aviation pioneer and air power leader," he died August 6, 1987. (2003) #12922
?, Eden, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01387
Eden. Founded 1882. Incorporated 1910. Named for Frederick Eden, native of England and pioneer ranchman on whose land the town was located, and who donated land for this public square. Farming and ranching area. Wool and mohair marketing center. Elevation 2,052 feet. Location of Concho County Hospital. (1964) #1387
?, Eden, TX, United States