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St. Mary's Catholic
Church in Windthorst
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, January 2004 |
History
in a Pecan shell
Windthorst, like several other north Texas communities was settled
by German Catholics who has transmigrated from the North. The namesake
was Ludwig Windthorst, a Catholic statesman back in the "Old Country."
St. Mary's Catholic Church was built on the hill, replacing an earlier
simple wooden cross. After burning and several reconstructions, the
church building still stands today.
The community dates from 1891 when 75,000 acres of the Clark Plumb
Pasture Company was sold. Developers, eager to establish a town put
up the money for the church, a rectory and a school. In 1892 the post
office had been granted under the name Windthorst and the next year
brought 40 families into the community. Within two years another 35
families had arrived.
Windthorst became known as the Dairy Capital of North Texas. The church
school became public sometime in the 1920s. The population had reached
1,000 by the late 1970s although it has since declined to 367 in 1990,
and rose to 440 in 2000. |
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| Photo
courtesy Holly Gibson, April 2015 |
Historical Marker
(Off US 281 on St. Mary's Street, Windthorst)
St. Mary's
Catholic Church
Obtaining 75,000
acres of Archer County
land for a farm colony in 1891, German-American Catholics planted
cross here and laid off Windthorst around a 20-acre site for church,
school, and rectory. Ernest Hoff built town's first structure, a home.
There on Jan. 1, 1892, Father Joseph F. Reisdorf celebrated the first
Mass in Windthorst, before 10 parishioners. The first church was dedicated
in 1893, second in 1904. The present one, third for the parish, was
completed in 1925. Two members of parish have become priests. St.
Mary's Church continues to be the center of community life.
(1974) |
St. Mary's Catholic
Church altar
January 2004 photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson |
St. Mary's Catholic
Church balcony
January 2004 photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson |
| 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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