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A Brief History of Grace United Methodist Church
Grace United Methodist Church was built in 1903 and
is located on the corner of Haskell and Junius Streets in what is
now called the Peak Suburban Addition Historic District. While Cochran
Chapel at Northwest Highway and Midway Road is the oldest deeded
Methodist Church in Dallas donated by Mrs. Nancy Cochran in 1856,
its current sanctuary was built in 1924. Thus, Grace United Methodist
Church, first known as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church South is
the oldest dedicated-use Methodist Church still standing in Dallas.
The church was organized by Rev. L. S. Barton pastor
of the Floyd Street Methodist Church (itself organized in 1874)
which merged with the Haskell Avenue Methodist Church (organized
in 1880) to form Grace Methodist Episcopal Church South in the fall
of 1902. The first pastor of Grace ME Church South was Rev. Percy
R. Knickerbocker and the assistant pastor formerly of Haskell Avenue
Church was Dr. H. A. Bourland. In 1939, the Methodist Church North
and Methodist Church South merged and the “South” in
the name was dropped. Later in 1968, The Methodist Church merged
with the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist
Church, and Grace Methodist Episcopal Church became Grace United
Methodist Church. (Grace United Methodist Church occasionally is
abbreviated as GUMC.)
In June of 1979, The Texas Historical Commission presented
Grace United Methodist Church with a plaque designating it as a
Texas Historic Landmark, and in June of 1980, a Dallas Historic
Landmark was received as well. In 1982, Grace United Methodist Church
was entered into the National Register of Historic Places and received
the plaque May 22, 1983. |
