| Even though
Coleman County was established and had a few settlers as early as 1856,
there was little settlement and no county seat was established until late
1875. Coleman City was selected as the county seat, and in July 1876,
lots were put on sale to establish the town site of Coleman. By late
1876, there were only six houses and eight tents, one general store and
three saloons. At that time, tents dotted a small area, which paralleled
what is now known as Commercial Avenue. Stores operated out of the
tents and the town's busy attorneys used tents as offices. Soon,
however, wooden houses and buildings began to replace the temporary dwellings.
To learn more about the
early Episcopalians of Coleman and Coleman County, we have to turn to the
diary of Bishop Alexander Charles Garrett, who was elected Missionary Bishop
of Northern Texas in 1874.
"July 25, 1877 - Set out
for Coleman City (from Brownwood). Arrived and found that it was
a very new and primitive frontier city. Not finding any 'disciples'
there I resolved to try and find Col. Anderson whose home is somewhere
in Callahan County. Drove on until dusk when I reached Nation's Ranch
on Pecan Bayou. The place was deserted. Debated for some time
as to what was best to be done. During this process I saw a man at
some distance going down the steep bank with a bucket in his hand and revolver
belted to his waist. Drove up to him to inquire for some place of
shelter on the road. There was none within many miles. I was
welcome to stay by the camp of the cow-herds. They could not offer
me any bed for they never used such things and the supper would be a little
rough but I was welcome to a share. Resolved to stay. Tied
the horses to a fence, took a small portion of their food when it was prepared
and camped in the buggy. About eleven Mr. Nation himself arrived
and took me to the deserted house aforesaid, put me in possession of the
whole and retired himself to sleep by the cattle pen. He had just
sold five hundred head of them that evening he was anxious that they should
be well guarded.
"July 26, 1877 - At the
first blush of dawn I set forward. Following directions plainly given
I took the wrong road. After ten miles or so I came to a house and
had my growing suspicions confirmed by ascertaining my mistake. Asked
for breakfast but the poor people had nothing to give for love or money.
I paid fifty cents for a few green stalks of corn for my horses, which
when they had finished I turned back to correct my unfortunate blunder.
Gave up hopes of finding my Church colony and started for Fort Griffin.
Drove all day. Night closed in black with clouds and thunder. The
ponies had travelled about seventy five miles since dawn and were exhausted
with hunger and fatigue. Stopped accordingly under a mesquite tree,
staked out the horses and retired to rest in the buggy.
"July 27, 1877 - About
midnight was aroused by the howling of the coyotes. Shortly after
an approaching wagon scared my already excited ponies, they broke their
fastenings and went off at a gallop. My spirit sank a little; if
I should lose them then the consequences might be serious. I jumped
out of the buggy and spoke to the flying studs. They knew my voice,
stopped instantly, turned round, and came and put their noses in my hand!
I tied them again and passed the rest of the night without alarm.
At dawn I was again on the road. Reached Fort Griffin about nine
o'clock. The officer in charge, Lieut. Calladay, and the surgeon
of the Post received me with cordial warmth, supplied my wants, and made
me soon forget the forty hours I had been without food. That evening
it rained furiously so that no service could be had. Spent the evening
in conversation with Lieut. Calladay and his accomplished wife discussing
questions of general interest to the Church in this country and the world."
Bishop Garrett returned
to Dallas, and again in February 1878, he set out for Cleburne and the
West. He toiled through deep mud for eighteen miles. Again
from his diary, "I spent two hours washing the sticky mud off the
poor tired horses. Utterly tired out." He set forward for Weatherford.
"The road was exceedingly rough. Broke five spokes in one wheel.
Braced the wheel and went on."
"February 20, 1878 - Proceeded
to Coleman City. The wind as measured by the anemometer was travelling
at the rate of fifty miles an hour. My course was exactly against
it. After a most trying drive I reached my destination safely.
Notice was spread. A small congregation was gathered in the court
house. I maintained a vigorous conflict the whistling gale for some
time. The Prodigal Son afforded a suitable theme. Dr. (George
S.) Sykes - only churchman in town was sick.
On July 21, 1879, Dr.
Sykes helped the Bishop arrange an evening service in Coleman in a room
over a saloon. "The clash of billiard balls and the loud vulgar talk
of the persons assembled below afforded a painful accompaniment to our
work in the upper room." The Bishop made several trips to Coleman
to hold services in the early 1880's. On May 18, 1887, Bishop Garrett
returned to Coleman to confirm the first known person at Coleman into the
Episcopal faith, "Evening Prayer being said (in) the Presbyterian Church
which was kindly loaned to us I preached and confirmed one person - Miss
Mary Strother Clow."
In the meantime, Bishop
Johnston of the District of Western Texas was making trips to the area
around San Angelo and on one trip, came to Coleman. He confirmed
Winfield Dancy Ledbetter, eldest daughter of J. P. and Evelina Ledbetter,
in the fall of 1888. In 1889 Bishop Johnston and Bishop Garrett agreed
to an exchange of territory by which the counties of Runnels, Coleman and
Brown were transferred to Western Texas. The Journal of the Missionary
District of Western Texas, 1890 lists Coleman as a mission by May of 1890
and paying $8.70 to the District. In January 1890, the Bishop baptized one
infant and confirmed one person in Coleman, and in 1891 he returned to
confirm 4 women and one man. In 1895, with the formation of the Diocese
of Dallas, Runnels, Coleman and Brown Counties returned to Bishop Garrett's
jurisdiction in Northern Texas.
In the 1880's and 1890's,
more communicants assembled when missionaries came from Dallas and San
Antonio. These included J. P. and Nancy Ledbetter, Mr. and Mrs. J.
E. Boog-Scott, Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Boog-Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Babbington,
Billy and Frank Anson, Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Hawkins, William Gould Busk,
the Paddleford family, Mrs. Elizabeth Adams Clow, the Klapper, Sackett,
Harris, Dibrell, Rathmell, Ayres, Randolph, Randall, and Jackson families.
On June 5, 1909, Bishop
Garrett gave consent to the organization of the Mission of the Holy Spirit
and appointed R. L. Boog-Scott, warden, J. E. Boog-Scott, treasurer, and
E. W. Klapper, secretary. In 1910 the mission found itself in the
Missionary District of North Texas on Archdeacon Seaman's schedule from
1911 until 1916. The Cumberland Presbyterian church, the Odd Fellows'
Hall and a hall above Garrett's Drug Store served until 1915 when a frame
chapel was built at the corner of Cedar and Neches on land given by Mrs.
Elizabeth Adams Clow. Miss Alice Clow later gave land for a rectory.
The Rev. William Temple Allan was in charge of Coleman and Ballinger from
1916 until 1921. In 1930 the church was remodeled and a parish house
was built. In the fall of 1950, the congregation took the name St.
Mark's Episcopal Church, as suggested by parishioner, James T. Padgitt,
Jr., because of his high regard for St. Mark's, San Antonio. In 1962
the church was brickstoned, the parish house further remodeled under wardens
Ross L. Jones and John Dale Lewis and a new vicarage built.
Jack Babbington was a
longtime lay reader, licensed to deliver his inspiring addresses even after
his sight failed. A few of the active lay readers over the years
were "Bishop" R. C. Chambers, William T. Hutchinson, Anderson Carter, Ross
L. Jones, James S. Williams, Jr., Robert I. Bowen, Jr., and Jean D. Larson.
A new large mission hall
was completed in 1989. St. Mark's began a recycling ministry and
a garden area is currently being developed between the new mission hall
and church. The centerpiece of the garden is a hand carved Italian sculpture
of St. Francis, which was given as a memorial to Patrick Cates by his family.
He was lost at sea on an offshore drilling accident in 1983. The
new landing and handicapped ramp into the narthex was completed in 1999.
Clery who have
served
St. Mark’s and their years of service are: The Rev. E. Cecil Seaman,
1911 - 1916; The Rev. W. T. Allan, 1916 - 1921; The Rev. Percy W.
Jones, 1923 - 1937; The Rev. F. A. Parsons, 1925 - 1926; The Rev. Hall
Pierce, 1927 - 1929; The Rev. Alex B. Hanson, 1929 - 1937; The Rev. D.
J. Williams,
1945 - 1947; The Rev. W. S. Walthall, 1950 - 1952; The Rev. Frank R.
Myers,
1953 - 1957; The Rev. William R. McDuffie, 1960 - 1965; The Rev. James
P. Haney, 1965 - 1968; The Rev. Stephen R. Weston, 1973 - 1975; The
Rev.
James Porter, 1976 - 1977; The Rev. John A. Holmes, 1977 - 1982; The
Rev.
Robert Manning Maxwell, 1984 - 1989; The Rev. Timothy Perkins, 1989 -
1991;
The Rev. Anne Finn, 1993 - 1994; The Rev. John Setzer, 1995 -
1998.
The Rev. Joan Rudolph became St. Mark's Canon IX priest on May 27,
2000,
resigning in April 2004, after contracting a cancer; she passed away on
August 4, 2004.
Interim or supply priests
at various times have been the Rev. Nicholas Mayer, the Rev. Lee Adams,
the Rev. T. Robert Ingram, the Rev. Edward Dentzer, the Rev. Frank Ambuhl,
and the Rev. James L. Considine.
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