Historical Marker
Riviera United Methodist Church
Riviera, Kleberg County · Texas
Erected 1983
The farm country this church served was sold by train. Theodore F. Koch, a land promoter from St. Paul, Minnesota, bought a large tract from Henrietta King in 1907 and named his townsite Riviera because it reminded him of the southern coast of France. Once or twice a month he ran a train from Chicago to bring prospective buyers, who were shown a hotel, an artesian well by the depot and a wide boulevard planted with tropical trees. A severe drought in 1915 drove many settlers away, and a hurricane struck the next year.
What the plaque says
Riviera United Methodist Church On March 27, 1910, three years after Riviera was established, the Rev. C.W. Perkins organized this congregation with 31 charter members. Originally named Riviera Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the fellowship met in a one-room schoolhouse until the church building was completed in 1912. The congregation served a vegetable and citrus farming area that spread over 18,800 acres. Despite hurricanes and drought, which have caused the town to decline, the church, which continues to occupy its 1912 sanctuary, remains a major force in the community. (1983)
Where it stands
27.29746, -97.81217 · Directions