St. Thomas Episcopal Church

The bishop who organized this mission in 1876 came to Texas with a plantation household. Alexander Gregg, born on a South Carolina plantation, left a law practice for the ministry, probably through his wife's influence, and was elected bishop of Texas in 1859. In January 1860 he moved his family, their enslaved people and their household goods to the state. His field was all of Texas until 1874. He held that the church in the Confederacy must separate from the church in the Union, then urged reunion after the war.

What the plaque says

St. Thomas Episcopal Church Earliest Episcopal services in Rockdale were held in 1875 in a store, where other faiths also worshiped. On Dec. 19, 1876, Bishop Alexander Gregg organized St. Thomas Mission, and in 1879 this site was bought with funds given by the Solon Joynes family. A frame chapel-- preserved as nave, chancel, and sanctuary in the present edifice-- was built in 1880. The Rev. Joseph Carden, 1920-24 rector, made and adorned the altar with original carvings. To accommodate the growing parish, the church was enlarged and a parish hall added in 1952. (1977)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Milam County Courthouse and Jail — 13 mi
  Cameron's 1892 Renaissance Revival courthouse and the 1895 St. Louis-built jail beside it, now the county museum, are listed together on the National Register.
• Calvert — 29 mi
  A railroad cotton town of 1868 on State Highway 6 that claimed the largest cotton gin in the world and elected Black men to county and state office during Reconstruction.

More markers nearby

• Matinee Musical Club — steps away
• First Baptist Church of Rockdale — steps away
• George Sessions Perry — steps away
• City of Rockdale — 0.2 mi