Our History
This history is taken from tapes by the former members….Ada Sutton Boyd, Jane Eastwood Shipp, Mary Shipp Hudnall, Cloy Shipp Hudnall, Pete Lewis, Bob Smith, Finis Smith, Maude Sanders Ritchey, Pluma Moon Frank, W.H. Ritchey, Loy Hudnall, Lucille Haney, and Erma Laird Hudnall. These are beloved memories of days gone by, and we give them to you with love, hoping they will stir your memories when you were a part of Haslet Methodist Church. Some of the dates may not be truly accurate, but they are as near as possible.
The beginning……
Haslet wasn’t much of a town in 1906-07. We had about six or eight houses, a depot, merchandise store, the Blue Goose Hotel. Mr. W.A. Wilson owned the store. He sold everything you’d need. There was a saloon, where the bank building was but, it was closed. Our first church was a tent. The people would come in wagons, bring their food and stay for the evening service. We only had church in the summer. A circuit rider came and held a two week revival. We attended each service. I don’t remember too much about the preachers except they were fat. These are the memories of Pluma Frank, Haslet Methodist only living charter member.
Joyce Sparks’s memories come from the tapes of friends and family. In 1910, the church was located where the Elementary School is. The front part was the church. The school was to the back and side. Lodge 999 was located above the school. The back wall of the church would rise up to use the school room if necessary.
On October 21st,1912 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Maloney gave the church the land to build on. They also gave the Baptist the land for their church. And in 1914 the Methodist Conference gave Haslet Methodist Church the money to buy lumber to build the first church. The members of the church had a “Church Raising” and the men did the work. Later this church had two beautiful stained glass windows a gift of Bess Singleton Harrell and her brother Bob Singleton in memory of their mother, Victoria Singleton. This was in the early 1940’s.
The ladies of the Woman’s Society (known today as UMW) sold eggs, chickens and butter to Mr. Nicholson for money to run the church. Joyce remembers there being as many as 80 to 90 people in church every Sunday. Mama Pluma remembers she would go with the young people on their outings to other churches or parties, all of them riding in the back of a pickup truck.
Early pioneers were… Mitchel, Sanders, Britton, Allen, Hays, Thompson, Noon, Barksdale, Murphree, Hardy, Martin, Day, Yance, Smith, Haley, Ritchie, Shipp, Haney, Fleming, Hollaway, Willis, Taylor, Burgess, Perry, Green, Gambill, Laird, Hudnall, Butler, Shirley, MacDaniel, Hares, Oneill, Sutton, and Ellis Families.
In 1950 the old church was torn down and replaced with our present church building.
Historical Dates- Crossroads UMC
June 1997 .....Haslet UMC purchased 3 portable buildings to be used for God’s Food, Classrooms, and Nursery. The City of Haslet required the buildings to be removed in January 2003.
June 21, 1999..... Haslet United Methodist Church was Incorporated
June 13, 2001.... Haslet United Methodist Church became a Single-charge church.
2001......Haslet UMC purchased 20 acres of land off US287 for future church home