This Week in Texas Methodist History, March 14, 2021

 

San Augustine Church Escapes Tornado, Church Dedicated March 14, 1937

 

The Methodist Church in San Augustine is one of the oldest congregations in Texas.  Both the city and the church played important roles in the Republic of Texas era.  Littleton Fowler, Daniel and Jane  Poe, Francis Wilson, and S. A. Williams all had important connections to the church. 

 

A church dedication service was planned for March 7, 1937 by the pastor, the Rev. Emmett Dubberly.   The congregation decided to spruce up the building before the service.  They wanted to paint the interior, repair the gutters and some of the exterior woodwork, not a major renovation, costing just $750 which had been raised for the repairs.

 

The work was supposed to begin on Tuesday, March 9, but the weather intervened.  At 4:40 p.m. a tornado struck and devastated the business district.  The Methodist church and parsonage were spared, but the destruction barely missed those structures.  Hail stones 3 and one half inches in diameter pelted the city.  The entire African American residential area known as Sunset was devastated.  About 30 houses closer to the business district were also destroyed.  The San Augustine Wholesale Grocery business, a brick structure housing about a half million dollars of merchandise was also destroyed.  Even worse, the city power plant was knocked out of commission depriving the city of lighting to assess the damage.  One person was killed, but there were relatively few other injuries.

 

Should the church go ahead with the repairs and dedication service?  Many of the Methodist families were now homeless.  Many more had sustained damage to their residences.   The congregation decided to go ahead and held the dedication service on March 14.  They even took the scheduled dedication week offering.  

 

Rev. Dubberly commented to the press that the experience of destruction.  “I believe we will be better able to rededicate our hearts now.”

 

 

In February 2009 the church suffered a fire.  You may visit the repaired building at 205 S. Liberty St. in historic San Augustine.