First Methodist Church of Tulia

Tulia's name is a clerk's mistake. In 1887 a post office opened in James A. Parrish's dugout on Middle Tule Draw, nine miles west of the present town, evidently meant to be called Tule after the nearby creek. In 1889 W. G. Conner took it over and moved it to his homestead, and when Swisher County organized in 1890 his section became the county seat. Conner donated land for the courthouse, the school and the city park. The Santa Fe line arrived in December 1906, and between 1910 and 1920 Tulia was known as the City of Windmills.

What the plaque says

First Methodist Church of Tulia The Reverend R. M. Morris, area presiding elder Jerome Harelson, and seventeen charter members organized this congregation in 1891. Early worship services, held on alternate Sundays in conjunction with the local Baptist and Presbyterian congregations, were conducted in the town's one-room schoolhouse. With financial and labor assistance from the entire community, the Methodists built the town's first church building in 1897 with lumber hauled from Amarillo. The tradition of shared services continued, and the Baptist and Presbyterian congregations also worshiped in the Methodist church building until their own facilities were built. Church membership grew steadily, closely paralleling Tulia's population growth. A new sanctuary was completed in 1929, and by the early 1960s additional facilities were required to meet the congregation's needs. After a denominational name change in 1968, it became known as First United Methodist Church. In 1979, the congregation welcomed the membership of Trinity United Methodist Church in a merger of the two congregations. First United Church continues to serve the citizens of Tulia with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1991)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Ozark Trails Association — steps away
• J.O. Bass Blacksmith Shop — 0.2 mi
• Swisher County — 0.3 mi
• Rose Hill Cemetery — 1.4 mi