First Christian Church, Fort Worth, Texas
historic place
First Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, is recognized as the city's oldest church. Its pioneer congregation was organized in 1855 by the Reverend A.M. Dean. Dean arrived in the six-year-old settlement with a hymn book and a revolver. He held early services in a log house located near what are now Belknap and Houston Streets. This log house was originally built for a Post Surgeon of the U.S. Army, stationed at the fort that gave Fort Worth its name. The church's first regular meeting place, a one-story concrete house, was also used by Colonel John Peter Smith for Fort Worth's first public school sessions. In 1873, Joseph Clark and his sons, Addison and Randolph, who were associated with the church, founded Add-Ran College, which became Texas Christian University. The current church building, located in Tarrant County, was erected between 1914 and 1915. It was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by architects E.W. Van Slyke and Clyde H. Woodruff. This historic place received a Texas Historical Marker in 1970. It was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. First Christian Church stands as a significant historical landmark in Fort Worth.