October 11, 2003 01:27 AM     

Reprint - Polk County Enterprise, Thursday, August 14, 2003 - Reprint 

Wanda Bobinger is graciously permitting my reprinting her article. Her sources were various documents she found in her Museum Archives. Many thanks to Wanda for sharing this additional Episcopal Church Texas history! Susan TuIIos

From The Archives by Wanda Bobinger, Curator; Polk County Memorial Museum

Missionary’s task not an easy one

Charles Gillette had completed his graduation from the Virginia Seminary and was ordained deacon and priest by the Bishop of Virginia for the Episcopal Church. Gillette headed for Texas almost immediately.

However, the Protestant Episcopal Church seems to have made it a principle not to establish missions in a country where the Catholic Church was already established by law, and, therefore, since Texas was a part of Mexico, it was a policy of hands-off. This had not presented other denominations becoming established, and following the Texas Revolution, the Episcopal Church found itself behind. But in 1835, when Texans revolted against Santa Anna, the church changed the laws to allow missionary programs. The church’s foreign Missionary Society had been established 15 years earlier, in 1820, and in September 1835, a missionary was appointed to Texas. An organized church group with 15 families set out to Texas and Austin’s Colony. It was, however, a failed attempt, as the land grant turned out to be worthless. Little else was done until 1839.

A church had been built in Galveston in June 1842, but was destroyed by a hurricane just three months later. Charles Gillette was asked or assigned to tour churches in the states to collect money to rebuild the church at Galveston, which was rededicated on Palm Sunday, 1843.

Gillette then conducted services at Independence and made a concentrated effort for the church to establish schools, before the other denominations beat them to the punch. Gillette noted “... the Presbyterians already have 10 ministers in the country (Republic of Texas), the Methodists, at least 40; Roman Catholics about six; while out church has only three.”

Gillette raised funds to begin a school at Anderson, but not enough. He then agreed to operate the school at his own risk. With monumental physical labor and personal dept, the school could not survive without help from the outside. He worked unbelievably hard against great odds to keep the school alive, making two trips on horseback, one of 140 and one of 360 miles, to secure pledges of only $1,000.

St. Paul’s College at Anderson led to the organization of the Church of the Redeemer and gave clergy the occasion to carry on mission work in other towns, such as Huntsville. Gillette extended his labors to Fireman’s Hill, on the east side of the Trinity River in Polk County; today the site of old Cold Springs. His interest in the remote community no doubt arose because it was the home of his nephew, Henry F. Gillette, who opened an academy at Cold Springs in 1847.

A report which was made to the convention in 1858 stated that the parish in Polk County had been, for 10 years, sustained almost exclusively by the efforts of Henry Gillette, lay reader, for it had never enjoyed the services of an ordained minister for more than two Sundays.

After 1859, services were held once each month in the town of Moscow.

Charles Gillette established a boy’s school in Austin in 1865 called Wharton College. He had served as chaplain of the Texas Senate in 1857.

 Henry Gillette moved his family in 1860 to their Galveston Bay estate, Bell Prairie. He continued for many years to own property in Polk County.

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