Church of the Good Shepherd

The storm the parish answered was Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979. The tornado formed east-northeast of Holliday about 5:50 p.m., reached Wichita Falls around 6:15, and widened to as much as a mile and a half. It cut about eight miles through the city's residential neighborhoods, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and left an estimated 20,000 people homeless. Forty-five people in the city died, three of them later of heart attacks. Damage came to about $400 million, the costliest tornado on record at the time, and earlier warnings from Rocky Point and Vernon may have kept the toll lower.

What the plaque says

Church of the Good Shepherd Sensing the need for spiritual enrichment amongst the residents of the brand-new town of Wichita Falls, Harriet Seeley began conducting Sunday school classes in her bedroom in 1876. The Episcopal Bishop of Dallas, Alexander Garrett, discovered this ongoing class in 1879. In 1884, the Reverend Henry Shaw arrived in Wichita Falls to build a new church and serve as Rector. The first service was held on December 8. In 1885, the church purchased lots at 8th and Lamar and built a house of worship. In 1886, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania women's auxiliary gifted a carved marble baptismal font to the church. It has been used in baptisms ever since. On February 20, 1913, the church received parish status. The next year, the Rev. Frederick Datson accepted the call to be the new rector. The Rev. Datson oversaw the $7800 purchase of lots at 10th and Burnett streets. The cornerstone for a new church was laid on April 13, 1915. The church was dedicated on October 3, 1915. Contractors Dyer & Co. of Stamford patterned the $21,000 building after parish churches in England designed during the Middle Ages. In their new building, Church of the Good Shepherd began to engage the community. The Election Day Soup Bazaar, first held in 1928, is an ongoing tradition attended by many community members. During World War II, Church of the Good Shepherd led many war effort projects. After a devastating 1979 tornado, Church of the Good Shepherd was one of the leaders in relief aid. These efforts were the foundation of an organization called interfaith outreach services. Notable leaders include the Rev. Claude Beesley, Rector from 1933-1962. He served Wichita Falls State Hospital for 21 years as Chaplain and served as President and Secretary of the Wichita Falls Ministerial Association. Church of the Good Shepherd has been a pillar of Wichita Falls for over a century. (2022)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Kell House Museum — steps away
  The 1909 Classic Revival house of Frank Kell, the miller and railroad builder who helped make Wichita Falls a city, shown by guided tour with its family furniture still in place.
• World's Littlest Skyscraper — 0.6 mi
  A four-story brick tower in downtown Wichita Falls, 40 feet tall and 10 feet wide, the leftover of a 1919 oil-boom office deal in which, the story goes, investors misread inches as feet.
• Lake Arrowhead State Park — 12 mi
  A prairie park on the north shore of the Wichita Falls water-supply lake, which drowned the town of Halsell in 1965-66, with mesquite campsites, a lighted pier and more than 200 bird species.
• Clay County 1890 Jail Museum — 18 mi
  Henrietta's 1890 stone jail a block from the domed courthouse, now the county museum, with its original cells, a gallows that was never used and the sheriff's family quarters.

More markers nearby

• Lloyd Ruby — 0.2 mi
• Wichita Falls Junior College — 0.3 mi
• Wichita County Water Improvement District No. 2 — 0.3 mi
• Wichita Falls Bank Robbery of 1896 — 0.3 mi