HomeMy WebLinkAboutMillican Methodist Church 12170Oral History Project - Memory Lane - Churches /Synagogues
Millican United Methodist Church
The Juggery
2870 Wingfall Street
Millican, TX 77866
Ph. (409) 825 -2145
Questions to be asked by interviewer
1. What was your first church or synagogue facility like?
The church began as a small log building with wood
shingles on the roof. The sills were hand -hewn
and pegged together as were other buildings in the
area. The flooring was of split logs. The church
was built of readily available materials.
2. What temnorary facilities were services held in? (Ex. a home, schoolhouses,
blacksmith shop, under the trees, halls, funeral home chapels, barracks,
courthouses, other buildings.)
Until the church was built, people met in homes.
3. Explain how your church or synagogue began in this area.
When Robert Millican came to Texas with Steven F.
Austin, he settled in this area, his son E. M.
Millican also settled here. They donated and
deeded a part of this land to build a Methodist
church.
Where was it located.
It was located about a mile southwest of its
present location.
4. How many times did it move locations? and where
It only moved once, to its present location.
5. Name churches or synagogues who were organized but started as part of
another church.
6. How many people attended? What age groups?
All ages attended. This was one of the few times
they could get together to socialize.
7. How did they travel to get there?
The only way to get to church was to walk, ride a
horse, or use a wagon or buggy.
8. What were the roads like? (Ex. dirt roads, gravel roads)
At first the roads didn't even exist, so trees had
to be cut down to make a pathway. Horses, people,
and wagons made the road by using the same path
and packing it down.
9. How many people came together?
There were probably five to ten families at first.
This would include husband, wife, and four or more
children.
10. How did they get from one town to the next? (horse, horse and buggy, auto)
In the beginning, there were no other towns close.
After other towns started, of course horses,
wagons, buggies, (and after they were common)
automobiles.
11. Explain experiences of your church or synagogue altering holding services
with other churches or synagogues.
At different times through the years, services
were held: whenever a preacher came through;
sometimes once a month; sometimes twice a month.
When services were not held in the Methodist
church, then people attended another denomination.
12. How many times a month did your church meet?
Most of the time through the early 1900's services
were held twice each Sunday. During the 1940's
services were held once a month in the morning
only.
13. Explain experiences of meeting in a "brush arbor "?
Some meetings were held in a brush arbor if they
were having a "protracted" meeting. These were
held up into the late 1940's, but, of course,
electricity was here by the mid 1930's and
convenience made the brush arbor obsolete -
especially when the brush had to be hauled in.
14. Tell what you know about circuit riders /priests who traveled through the
area preaching.
The first preachers in the area, of course, were
circuit riders. One wrote that he could often
look out and see buffalo grazing not far from the
church.
15. Name the denominational pioneers in this area in communities such as,
Harvey, Wellborn, Shiloh, Peach Creek, Old independence, Macey, Rock
Prairie Community, Millican.
Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, and
Presbyterian. After the Civil War, when the
railroad was extended to Bryan, and after the two
Yellow Fever epidemics in Millican, many of the
churches and their remaining members moved to
Bryan.
16. What name changes did the congregation make over the years for your
church or synagogue?
When the town of Millican itself formed, and more
people were concentrated into one area, the Dunlap
and Barker families traded some of their land in
exchange for the Methodist church land, so the
site of the second church was built where the
present one now stands. There was no name change
until the "United" was added at a much later date.
17. What days and times were services held?
Morning worship was at 10 A.M. and 6 P.M. each
Sunday. At times there were few members and
church meetings were only once a month, and only
in the mornings. During the early 1900's, church
let out early enough to let church members meet
the noon -time train - otherwise, they would get up
and walk out. Meeting the train was of importance
to their social activities and interest.
18. Explain who built the early churches and where the supplies came from.
The first church built of logs was supplied from
the area in which it was built. The second church
was supplied from a saw mill in the Anderson area.
The third church building had supplies from
Anderson area and the Bryan areas, and Navasota
area.
How did the supplies get there?
When the second church was built, the supplies
came in wagons. The Navasota River was crossed by
the wagons being ferried across at Fugua Ferry.
The third church materials came by wagon, truck,
and rail. The bell for the church came by rail
from Galveston.
19. Was there a woodshed and outside privy?
There was never a woodshed, the wood for the
heater was simply stacked outside. There was
never a privy.
20. Explain indebtedness of the church and how it was handled.
People gave of their time and money to build the
churches and keep them going.
21. Explain where Sunday school education was held.
Sunday school was held in the worship areas, the
different classes being in different parts of the
room. The present church has four classrooms and
each side.
Did your church sponsor a mission Sunday school or Bible classes?
Not that I know of.
Where did the children meet for Sunday school?
Children met in separate areas of the worship
area, or in classrooms when they became available.
What were nursery facilities like?
What nursery facilities? There were none!
Tell us about quilt pallets for sleepy children.
When children tired, they were placed on quilt
pallets if there was not room available on the
pew.
22. Tell us about your church choir, how many members were there?
There were about 10 women who sang in the choir
when I was growing up in the 1940's.
Explain any singing conventions they attended.
What was the piano like? Was a pump organ used? What was it like?
As far as I know, the present piano is the only
one they ever used - an upright grand. The first
church used a pump organ, but when the second was
built, they got a piano.
23. Tell us about the steeple of the church.
The steeple on the second church was just a
pointed roof, but the present church had a
Tell us about the bell. Was it pulled by a rope?
The bell in the present -day church is the same one
that was in the second one. It is rung by pulling
a rope that goes through the ceiling into the
Sanctuary.
When was the church bell tolled? ex. a death, to ring the old year out and
the new year in, other matters of importance, to proclaim peace during the
end of the wars.
The bell was tolled (rung very slowly) once for
each year of age when a person died. Therefore,
if several people were very sick, people could
tell who died by counting the tolls, therefore
knowing if it was the youth or the elder who had
died. As bells all over town were rung to
announce church time, people could tell which
church bell was being rung by its sound. As were
the others in town, the bell was rung to announce
peace at the end of wars, and also to gather
people together if perhaps there was a fire or
such disaster.
24. Tell us about the pews, were they hand sawed out of pine?
The first pews were split logs, then replaced by
pine benches with backs. The present pews had a
shellac finish on them that made people's clothes
stick to the backs when they got hot.
What was the lighting, was it kerosene lamps?
Kerosene lamps with reflectors behind them were
hung on the walls for lighting before electricity
was available.
How about the heat, was it by wood heaters or butane?
Wood heaters were used up until the late `50's or
very early 1960's when the Baptist church sold
their smaller heaters to the Methodist when they
got larger ones.
How was it cooled, was it by ceiling fans?
The second church had windows on both sides so
wind could go through. The third church had
windows on 4 sides with upper windows that lowered
along with lower ones that raised, and transoms
that opened. Electric fans were added in the
1980s' and air conditioning in the 1990's.
Tell us about the funeral parlor advertisement fans that you fanned yourself
with to keep cool.
There were 3 kinds that I remember: 1. a
cardboard fastened to a wooden stick, 2. a 3 -fold
fan of cardboard, and 3. a solid piece of
cardboard with a hole in it to help hold it. This
hole was fascinating to me because Mr. Charlie
McGregor could put his finger or thumb in the hole
and make the fan go round and round.
25. Tell us about any stained glass windows.
There were no stained glass windows until the
1990's.
What was the outside of the building made of? Was it white - washed?
The first was of hewn logs chinked with class and
moss. The second and third were of wooden siding.
They were not white - washed, but painted white.
How was the maintenance of the building taken care of?
The maintenance of the building was usually taken
care of by members of the congregation unless it
involved something that was beyond their skills,
then someone else was hired.
26. Explain if the congregation was pastored by student pastors.
At times the church was pastored by student
pastors, but not always. Because the church was
small, salary had a lot to do with who was
assigned.
If so, were they from Texas A &M, Baylor University, the Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary or others.
At one time two came from TAMU, but the others
were going to the Methodist college Lon Morris.
27. Tell us about elaborate ceremonies that were observed. (ex. anniversary of
the church, completion of a new building, church dedications.)
There were, of course, celebrations when the new
churches were built and dedicated.
28. What were some early traditions of your congregation? (ex. seating men on
one side and women on the other.)
In all older churches, both Methodist and Baptist,
there were 2 front doors. Men entered and sat on
the left, women entered the right -hand door and
sat on the right.
29. Explain circumstances when your church was destroyed by fire, storm, other.
The only time it was destroyed was when men tore
the second one down to build the third one. The
second one was getting old and needed too much
repair.
30. Tell us about how much the pastor was paid?
The first pastors were paid by food and lodging
and very little money. If a new pastor came and
had a family, they received a "Pounding," where
each member brought a pound of salt pork, a lb. of
potatoes, and a lb. of flour, etc.
Where did he live? (ex. parsonage)
Millican Methodist never had a parsonage, the
pastors just had their own homes, usually in
another town.
About how old was he and did he usually have a large family?
Some were young ( -20), some were old ( +70), and
some had a family, but usually not large.
31. About what was the annual budget of the church?
I don't know.
32. Explain how the church met the social needs, as well as the religious needs of
the community.
If someone was ill, they took food or helped the
person out with housework or chores. If their
extras were needed by others, the members were
willing to help.
Tell us about the fellowship hall.
The fellowship of the congregation took place in
the building itself or out on the grounds. A
kitchen area and bathroom weren't provided until
the 1980- 1990's.
33. Explain any revivals you attended and where they were held. Ex. brush
arbors, tents, baseball fields. How many weeks did they last?
The only "brush arbor" meeting I attended as a
child I didn't like at all. There were bugs, it
was dark, and the chairs would fold up with you in
it!
Tell us about prayer meetings.
I do not remember any prayer meetings at the
Methodist church, but I am sure they had them
before my time. During the meetings at the
Baptist church, different members of the
congregation would say a prayer and when they
finished another would say his until all had said
one or more.
34 . Tell us about the churchyard.
I assume by "churchyard" you mean cemetery. It
was located about 1/4 mile from the church.
Explain the cemetery, and where it was located?
The first community cemetery was located just off
2154 on the now Wellborn Rd. After a Negro up-
rising where the tombstones of the whites were
destroyed, a man by the name of Wheat donated the
site of the present one, 1/4 mile from the
Methodist church, on a hill.
Who could be buried there?
I assume that since only Negro's could be buried
in the old cemetery, only whites could be buried
in Wheat Cemetery. There is now a Wheat Cemetery
Association which takes care of maintaining the
cemetery. When I was growing up, family members
would take hoes, rakes, and a jug of water, and
clean all grass from the graves and burn it.
35. Tell us about the Corp and A &M faculty attending your church.
Occasionally A &M faculty members attended church,
but very seldom. More do now. One of the best
pastors we had here for a while was a lay -man from
the A &M faculty.
36. Explain what you know about the religious services who met at the YMCA
Building on campus.
I don't know.
Explain about the chaplains working through the "Y ".
I don't know.
37. Explain what you know about A &M sponsored Sunday morning worship
services on campus with attendance being compulsory by the A &M students.
I don't know.
38. Explain the affect of W.W.II and its aftermath on the college ministry. (ex.
not just college aged students but military personal and their families.)
I don't know.
39. Explain baptismal. (ex. YMCA swimming pool, rivers, baptismal font,
other.)
Baptisms at the Methodist church took place in the
Brazos river of someone's stock land on their
property, or in the church itself.
40. Explain "groundbreaking" ceremonies for a new sanctuary.
This was an occasion for celebration, which
included an all -day affair of church, noon lunch,
prayers and singing favorite hymns after lunch,
more preaching before returning home.
Oral History Project- Memory Lane - Churches /Synagogues
Pifriitece
1. What was your first church or synagogue facility like? `,g 4 4 ' 'r
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2. 7 What temporary facilities were services held in? (Ex. a home, schoolhouses,
blacksmith shop, under the trees, halls, funeral home chapels, barracks,
courthouses, other buildings.
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Questions to be asked by interviewer
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Where wad it l ted. 4 y e
4. How many times did it move locations? and where
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5. Name churches or synagogues who were organized but started as part of another
church.
6. How many people attended? What age groups?
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How did they travel to get there? ,��
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8. What were the roads like? (Ex. dirt roads, gravel roads)
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10. Ho did they get from one town to the next? (horse, horse and bug , auto)
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11.
Explain experiences of your church or synagogue alternating holding services
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13. Explain experiences of meeting in a "brush arbor "?
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14. Tell what you know about ci cuit riders / • riests who traveled through the area
preaching.
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15. 15. Name the denominational pioneers in this area in communities such as, Harvey,
Wellborn, Shiloh, Peach Creek, Old Independence, Macey, Rock Prairie
Community, Millican.
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16. What name changes did the congregation make over the years for your church or
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18. Explain who b ilt the early churches
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Explain indebtedness of the church and ho rt was handled.
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21. Expl j n where St nda school education was h
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What were nursery facilities like?
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22. Tell us about your church choir, how many members w re there?
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Explain any smging conventions they attended.
a e um . or an used?
2 112s,out the ell? Wa it pulled by rope? 9 g-
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When was the church bell tolled? ex. a dea h, to ring the of • year out and the new
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at was it like?
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24. Tell us
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Hovfabout ie ea , was it by wood heater or butane?
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How as it copied, was i i by fling fa s?
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hat /waithe li
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the . ews, were they hand sewed out opine?
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Tell us about funeral parlor advertisemen a at yo fanne oursel with _
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26. Explain iftlfe corw.regation was pastored by student pastors.
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If so,
were they from Texas A &M, Baylor Uri' ersity, the Southwestern Baptist
Theol9gical Seminary or others.
27. Tell us bout elaborate ceremonies that were observed. (ex. anniversary of the
completion of a new building, church dedic tions.�
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28. What were some early traditions of your congregation? (ex. seatin men on one j��
side and the women on the other). pi ea �,�7e�'l a
fie° ./lite - ate. Wjyt .��a-
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29. "explain circumstances when your church was destroyed by fire, storm, other.
30. Tell us abot t how much the pastor was paid ? ..g
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About ho Id was he and did he usually have a . famil / ` '
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31. About «hat was the a ual budget of the church?
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32, Explain how the church met..the social needs, as well as the religious needs of the
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Tell about the fel owshi hall.
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Explain any revivals y • ( attended and where ey were el ex. brps ar ' ors,
ents, baseball feel. s. How many eeks did they last? � - /J
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re it was located. ?� s"L o ip-t49•te ,
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Tell us about prayer meetings.
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35. Tell us about the Corpc6id A &M faculty attending your church.
36. Explain what you know about , t th he religious services who met at the YMCA
Building on campus.
Explain about the chaplains working through the "Y ".
1 4L
37. Explain what you know about A &M sponsored Sunday school morning worship
services on campus with attendance being compulsory by the A &M students.
d e - a L ; 441 ' ij--
38. Explain the affect of WWII and its aftermath on the college ministry.
just college aged students but military personal and their families. )
39. Explain baptismal. (ex. YMCA swimming pool, rivers, baptisimal font,
i
40.
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E plain
oundbreaking" ceremonies for a new s ctuary.
(ex. not