First United Methodist Church - Paris Bruce K.: This building looks more like a courthouse than a church, but it is indeed the First United Methodist Church of Paris. It was built in 1922 and added to the National Register in 1983. It is a Colonial/Mediterranean Revival style.
The marker reads, "The beginning of this congregation can be traced to 1843, when the Rev. James Graham organized the First Methodist Church in the area. It later took the name Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Meanwhile, another congregation, Lamar Avenue Methodist Church, was formed. After the destructive Paris fire of 1916, the two churches decided to form one central downtown congregation, and the merger became official in 1918. The Rev. Robert P. Shuler was appointed first pastor of the new congregation, now known as First United Methodist Church of Paris."
This is marker number 8196 and it was erected in 1985 by the Texas Historical Commission.
There is a large parking lot across the street and another behind. But on a Tuesday afternoon, the church was secured and I was unable to see the interior.
