Some very sad news from Marshall, Texas: the 163-year-old First United Methodist church burned down.

 Some very sad news from Marshall, Texas: the 163-year-old First United Methodist church burned down yesterday. The sanctuary appears to be a total loss.

The First Methodist Church, also known historically as First United Methodist Church and Methodist Episcopal Church of South Marshall, was located at 300 E. Houston Street in Marshall and was distinguished by its Greek Revival architecture, featuring a stuccoed brick facade with a portico supported by four monumental square columns, which is an uncommon style in Texas. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Originally, the church's portico included a belfry, which was substituted in 1949 with a large octagonal cupola. Built between 1860 and 1861, the building likely relied on slave labor for its construction, with key contributors being mason Alexander Pope and carpenter Billingon Smalley. The church underwent expansions in 1949 and again in 1958.

During the American Civil War, the church's basement was used to store Confederate supplies and served as a hub for organizing war efforts. Notably, it hosted the first conference of the Trans-Mississippi states in 1862, called by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Attendees included Texas Governor Lubbock, Missouri Governor Jackson, and representatives from Arkansas and Louisiana.

It's so sad to see historic structures like this one go. News videos showed parishioners praying in the parking lot. I can't imagine how heartbroken they are. Think of all the weddings, baptisms, and prayers that this building had seen over the years. The pastor, David Luckert, said “We’re a great close-knit congregation, but it’s a close-knit community (too). I’ve had about six other pastors reach out to me already early this morning. We’ve been here since 3 (a.m.), and they started reaching out about 4:30 (a.m.) when they started hearing about it. I’m not surprised. That does speak volumes of our community — a community where people care about each other. We realized we’ve got a lot more in common than not.”

My phone has been blowing up,” he said, sharing how grateful he is. “Right now, we’re trying to let the congregation know what’s happened and what’s going on.”

Shown here are three photos of the church. The color photo was taken in 2016. The two black and white photos were taken in 1936.